Out of curiosity, what apps do people use for SMS on android phones, and is there a good reason not to use the Google Hangouts one?

I use the stock SMS app – prefer Hangouts but it doesn’t (or didn’t, not sure) handle sending an SMS to multiple recipients, which may not be an issue for you.

Used Hangouts for while but it was just stuttery and not very fluid IMO so ditched it. It may be better now.

Only person I know who has a Nexus uses it and hasn’t complained; however, everyone i know who has an iPhone uses iMessage, but not as many people with Android phones seem to use Hangouts (Nexus users aside).

Hangouts is not great – download the latest google text app, it is much better.

disabled hangouts on my nexus … use whatsapp

Hangouts is not great – download the latest google text app, it is much better.

Bit odd that the app that Hangouts was meant to replace is still being updated and is meant to be better.

disabled hangouts on my nexus … use whatsapp

No thanks; belongs to Facebook, and costs money.

Textra

Free version or paid with no silly ads.

Messenger. The ‘new’ stock SMS app but you need to download it from Play store.

On my last phone the stock app was rubbish so I used GoSMS. The one one my current phone (HTC or Google, I’m not sure offhand) is perfectly fine though.

Another vote for Textra, it’s been faultless since I started using it 18 months ago.

I use hangouts for both SMS and (internet) messaging.

Seems OK to me.

Bit odd that the app that Hangouts was meant to replace is still being updated and is meant to be better.

My apologies – it is a ‘new’ app from Google –

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.messaging

If you don’t already have it, you need to get Google Now Launcher on any Android handset – and allow it to connect to other google apps (especially email, maps and calendar) … Like black magic it is…. 😯

and allow it to connect to other google apps (especially email, maps and calendar)

… as part of Google’s plan to know everything about you. Am I alone in wishing to avoid this?

No, but I sacrifice my data at the fountain of ‘ooooooooh, cool tech’….

I use hangouts; it sends texts, it receives texts.

Whilst we are talking text messaging and Android, anyone run into the issue where if you reply to a text and leave the chat window open, any replies are silent so you don’t realise they’ve responded?

Never an issue on my Nexus, but my Xperia Z3 compact does it.

I get that on moto g 4g

Fell out with hangouts after it started to refuse to show the name of some senders, despite them being in my phone book. Tried lots of potential fixes but to no avail. Use textra now, it does everything as it should.

… as part of Google’s plan to know everything about you. Am I alone in wishing to avoid this?

TBH, if that’s a concern, an Android phone isn’t the best choice for you. You’d have to let Apple of Microsoft know everything about you instead.

Otherwise,

Barely send nor receive SMS text messages these days; use WhatsApp pretty much all the time!

Barely send nor receive SMS text messages these days; use WhatsApp pretty much all the time!

As above, I just don’t get WhatsApp. It costs money when I have unlimited free texts in my contract (and most messages that go via iMessage/Skype/Hangouts are over wifi so also near-enough free), and it’s owned by Facebook who I really don’t trust.

Whatsapp is very useful if you want to text people who live in a different country to you, to text people with different OS to you, to text a group of people who include one of the previous, to text people thru wifi only, to text people if you don’t have unlimited texts…

it might not be for you but it works for me

^ To say nothing for MMS content.

Seriously, 63p per year? I bet folk spend more than that on picture messages.

SMS is just using the hangout app on the nexus. Sends to whatever they receive I think. Works fine.

WhatsApp doesn’t cost: I’ve been using it for years and never paid a penny.

Edit: come to think of it, it did try and charge me once my first year was over but I ignored the messages and they eventually went away.