Verizon Message+ is Shutting Down

Verizon has had a text message app called Verizon Messages, that everyone referred to as Verizon Message+, for at least 8 years. The app isn’t something I ever considered using, as it has always been a bit behind in terms of UI trends, but it has at least 100 million downloads on Google Play. It’s clear that people use and appreciate the experience that Verizon Message+ offers.

For those who weirdly fall into that category, I have some sad news for you – Verizon Messages (aka Verizon Message+) is shutting down. In fact, the shutdown officially began yesterday (10/2) and will take about a month to complete.

VERIZON MESSAGE+ SHUTDOWN DATE: A dedicated support page for the shutdown of Verizon Message+ is live and should answer all of your questions if you happen to use this app regularly. The page says that the app will be fully discontinued on November 11, 2024, so in about a month.

As for why Verizon has decided to shut this down, they said that they want you to have the “best messaging experience” and Message+ must not be offering that (shocker). They recognize RCS as the future of both Android and iOS messaging, and Message+ simply can’t compete there.

Once the app is shutdown, you won’t be able to send or receive messages and the app will be removed from Google Play and the Apple app store. Because it will leave Google Play, Verizon is recommending that you switch to Google Messages (download) if you are on Android. The Google Messages app has really grown into a high quality messaging app in recent years, so I think most won’t mind the switch. iPhone owners should just switch to iMessage.

If you use an email alias (like [email protected]), that will also stop working.

For more, visit this Verizon support page.