For several years, Verizon Wireless offered its own enhanced messaging application called verizon message plus (often stylized as Message+). This app aimed to provide features beyond standard SMS/MMS texting, like syncing messages across multiple devices. However, if you’re looking for verizon message plus today, you’ll find the service has been discontinued.
This guide explains what verizon message plus was, why it was phased out, and what messaging options Verizon recommends now.
What Was Verizon Message Plus?
Verizon message plus was Verizon’s proprietary messaging app designed to offer a richer communication experience compared to basic texting. Its key features included:
- Integrated Messaging: Allowed users to send and receive text messages (SMS/MMS) on their primary smartphone and sync those messages across other compatible devices like tablets or computers (via a web client or desktop app).
- Enhanced Features: Offered capabilities beyond standard SMS/MMS at the time, such as support for larger group chats, sending higher-quality photos and videos, typing indicators (when messaging other Message+ users), location sharing, and even integrated eGift card sending capabilities.
It aimed to provide a more unified and feature-rich messaging platform for Verizon customers across their devices.
Why Was Verizon Message Plus Discontinued?
The mobile messaging landscape has evolved significantly, leading Verizon to discontinue verizon message plus. Key reasons include:
- Rise of RCS: The industry, led by Google, moved towards adopting Rich Communication Services (RCS) as the modern standard for carrier-based messaging on Android. RCS natively supports many features previously unique to apps like verizon message plus, including read receipts, typing indicators, high-resolution media sharing, and improved group chats.
- Google Messages Standardization: Verizon, along with other major US carriers and manufacturers like Samsung, adopted Google Messages as the default messaging app for Android smartphones sold on their network. Google Messages provides robust RCS support.
- RCS Support on iPhone: Apple’s implementation of RCS support in iOS (starting with iOS 18) further solidified RCS as the cross-platform standard for enhanced carrier messaging, reducing the need for proprietary carrier apps.
- Streamlining: Maintaining a separate messaging app became redundant and costly as industry standards offered similar or better functionality within default device apps.
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Current Status: Officially Discontinued
Verizon officially discontinued the verizon message plus service in December 2024.
- App Unavailable: The app is no longer available for download from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and is no longer supported.
- Functionality Ceased: Users can no longer send or receive messages using the verizon message plus application. Any messages scheduled within the app after the shutdown date were not sent.
- Web Client: Access via the web client was discontinued even earlier.
What Verizon Recommends Now: The Replacements
With verizon message plus retired, Verizon recommends users utilize the standard, modern messaging applications on their devices:
- For Android Users: Google Messages is the recommended app. It comes preloaded on newer Verizon Android devices and supports RCS messaging for enhanced chats with other RCS users (including iPhone users on recent iOS versions).
- For iPhone/iPad Users: Apple Messages (iMessage) remains the default. It now also supports RCS for richer communication with Android users, in addition to its own iMessage features for Apple-to-Apple communication.
Migrating Your Messages
If you were a user of verizon message plus, your past text message history (SMS/MMS) should generally remain safe.
- Local Storage: Standard text messages are stored locally on your device’s storage, not solely within the verizon message plus app.
- Access via New App: When you switch your default messaging app to Google Messages or use the standard Apple Messages app, your existing SMS/MMS history stored on the device should automatically be visible within the new app.
- Backup (Optional): While messages should transfer, some users opted to use third-party SMS backup tools before the shutdown for extra peace of mind, especially regarding MMS (picture/video messages).
Loss of Specific Message+ Features
While RCS via Google Messages and Apple Messages replicates many core enhanced features, some specific functionalities unique to verizon message plus (like the integrated eGift card sending or specific multi-device syncing methods beyond standard RCS web pairing) are no longer available through Verizon’s recommended replacements.
Conclusion: Embracing Modern Messaging Standards
Verizon message plus served its purpose in an earlier era of mobile messaging, offering features beyond basic SMS. However, with the widespread adoption of the RCS standard integrated into default apps like Google Messages and Apple Messages, Verizon has retired its proprietary solution. Users of the former verizon message plus service should now rely on their device’s standard messaging app (Google Messages for Android, Apple Messages for iOS) to enjoy modern, feature-rich, and standardized communication supported directly by Verizon and the broader mobile industry.
