In a rather surprising turn of events, Samsung preloaded the Galaxy S21 series with Google Messages as the default SMS app rather than its own. The app’s UI was even modified (altered color palette and tweaked interface for easy one-handed use) to blend it with One UI’s general aesthetics. Unfortunately, Galaxy S21 users in the US were left out of the fold. With the S22 series, though, it looks like that’s about to change.

Android Police’s Zachary Kew-Denniss noted the development in a tweet. According to him, Samsung has retained Google Messages as the default messenger on the new S22 series, but unlike with the S21 series where the change was standard internationally only, it’ll now be coming to the US.

In terms of functionality, Samsung already added support for Google's RCS to its own messenger, so the two apps aren't really different in basic features anymore. That said, Google Messages has its perks, including automatic message sorting, auto-deletion for One-time passwords (OTPs) after 24 hours, and Assistant-powered message attachments — it lacks the recycle bin feature that Samsung incorporates into its messenger, though.

What’s more, US-based Galaxy S22 users will be able to enjoy any new features coming to Google Messages. One of such additions is already on the way, per the Unpacked event where Google announced that the app would gain the ability to generate YouTube video previews from links shared in conversations. The previews will be interactive, showing video titles and thumbnails and allowing you to play them with a single tap. The feature will roll out to the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Tab S8 series first before reaching other devices in the coming weeks.

Samsung’s collaboration with Google birthed the highly coveted Wear OS 3 and looks set to shape the Android ecosystem as a whole. It’ll be interesting to see what fruits the partnership yields next.