Which should be default?

[Deleted User]

I have the Messenger app. I also have Messages. Sometimes I see, "make Messenger your default messaging service" or, depending on the set-up, it say's "make Messages your default messaging service", or words to that effect. Included in both they throw in words relating to SMS service.

Firstly, is MESSAGES the place where text messages go?, if so, it has to be there, whereas the Messenger holds all exchanges between fb friends/contacts.

If because I need them both, I'm wondering if they're vying to become default?. If so, what are the pro's/cons for each please?. 

flaneurs_lobster

Messenger is the FB/Meta app for (obviously) exchanges via Facebook. It will also handle your SMS messages (if you allow it to become the default for this).

In Android (dunno about Apple) you can only have one app active (default) for SMS use (ditto for mobile calls). Confusingly there are several apps called Messages but you probably have the Google one and the one from your phone manufacturer. They will generally also handle "enhanced" SMS (not the right name) for longer messages etc. 

I'd give each of them a try and see which you prefer. I've never used Messenger for SMS (nor much else) so don't know how it integrates SMS with other stuff. 

[Deleted User]

flaneurs_lobster said:

Messenger is the FB/Meta app for (obviously) exchanges via Facebook. It will also handle your SMS messages (if you allow it to become the default for this).

In Android (dunno about Apple) you can only have one app active (default) for SMS use (ditto for mobile calls). Confusingly there are several apps called Messages but you probably have the Google one and the one from your phone manufacturer. They will generally also handle "enhanced" SMS (not the right name) for longer messages etc. 

I'd give each of them a try and see which you prefer. I've never used Messenger for SMS (nor much else) so don't know how it integrates SMS with other stuff. 

I googled and discovered I ought to have "Google messages", as it happened I'd got another version. I installed GM from playstore, don't think I'd seen it before. Anyhow, it looks OK. Just waiting for the experience of receiving texts. As for the other version, I've removed it from home screen, I know where it is. 

What I do have now, is "make messenger, Google messages, Messages each vying for me to use them for SMS. I've selected GM. 

flaneurs_lobster

Next time you get one of those nag messages see if you can long press on it and get an option to stop/block them.