If you're not a fan of using Hangouts on stock Android to send and receive an SMS then don't worry, with the arrival of Android 5.0 Lollipop, Google has included a new messaging application for SMS & MMS bearing the features of Material Design. And best of all - you can download it today! Messenger is now available for install from the Google Play Store.
- It's almost a year since the release of Android 4.4 KitKat, where the Google Hangouts app was developed from a simple web mail service to become an integrated SMS app. Installed by default on the Nexus range, this application had to be used to send and receive your SMS messages, much to the disdain of some users.
However, Google seems to regret this choice: the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9 will be arriving with Android 5.0 Lollipop and the brand new SMS application in tow, bearing the name "Messenger". (Reminiscent of a certain social network's similar messaging application...). The app is now available for all devices with Android versions 4.1 Jelly Bean and above.
- What does the new Messenger app bring?
• Faster sharing: Select or take pictures and videos directly from the app and share easily. You can even send audio messages to your contacts.• Easy search: Search through contacts and conversation threads to find exactly what you are looking for.• Purposeful design: New, fluid, material design that is intuitive and delightful.• More control: Ability to block SMS senders. No interruptions when you don’t want them!• More features: audio messages, emoji support 😃, colored text threads, message archiving and more.
Install the Android 5.0 Lollipop Messenger
You can install it for free from the Play Store by clicking the install button below.
If you don’t have Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, you can still try to install it with the Google Messenger APK that we had previously made available, however this isn’t guaranteed. This APK is not official, and may contain some bugs.
What do you think of the Android 5.0 Lollipop Messenger?
