If you have an Android phone, chances are you already have Google Messages.Īlso referred to as simply 'Messages', this is Google's own SMS app that comes preinstalled on a lot of Android phones.
If you want a powerful messaging app that most of your friends/family probably already have an account for, Facebook Messenger is more than likely your best bet.ĭownload: Facebook Messenger (free) Google Messages is great (if your phone and carrier support RCS) It allows you to find people to message just by searching for them on Facebook (making phone numbers a thing of the past) and having access to messages across all your devices. While you don't technically need a Facebook account to use Messenger, having one does make life a bit easier. There's a fair amount of bloat tucked away in Messenger if you go digging, but following a big redesign to the app in late 2018, it looks a lot cleaner and is a whole lot more user-friendly. You can message people individually or create group chats, make free audio and video calls, post to your Facebook Story, and even play games like Words With Friends. Facebook (rightfully) gets a lot of flak for its mishandling of user data, but despite that, its Messenger app remains as one of our top recommendations for people looking for an easy-to-use and fully-featured multi-platform messaging app.
