Verizon has announced the discontinuation of its messaging app, Message+. The process of discontinuing the service will take over a month, and Verizon is recommending people switch to RCS or iMessages.

The Message+ app by Verizon will be completely discontinued by November 7, 2024. The shutdown will begin on October 2, 2024, but users will definitely no longer be able to send or receive messages through the app after November 7. Any messages scheduled to be sent after that date will not be delivered. The app will also be removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Verizon said the rise of Rich Communication Services (RCS) was the primary reason for this decision. RCS gives a more modern messaging experience with features like typing indicators, read receipts, and high-quality media sharing. Google Messages, preloaded on all Verizon Android devices, supports RCS. Verizon recommended that Android owners switch to Google Messages and that iPhone and iPad owners use Apple Messages.

The transition to Google Messages is straightforward. Users can download the app if it’s not already on their device and set it as their default messaging app. Verizon also said in their FAQ that email aliases associated with Message+ will no longer function after the shutdown. Probably to prepare for the app closing, Verizon had already discontinued the ability to send and receive text messages on its website as of December 11, 2023. However, Users can still access their message history on the website. The sale of eGift cards through Message+ also ended in April 2024, though previously purchased eGift cards can still be redeemed.

This move by Verizon follows a similar trend in the industry; Samsung has also been migrating users from its messaging app to Google Messages, and Apple adopted RCS in iOS 18. This is basically making the technology a standard for mobile messaging. If this trend continues, we may soon see the end of dedicated carrier messaging apps.

Source: Verizon via 9to5Google