How to send & receive text messages on your Samsung phone

Find out how to send, delete or forward a text message and how to block spam or change your text alert tone. The icons and screen may differ slightly from the illustrations below depending on your device, operating system and theme.

You are not able to choose between SMS or MMS. Your messaging service will automatically switch to MMS if you are sending a picture message, or if your text message goes over the character limit, normal SMS length is 160 characters.

To find the Messages app, you may have to look in your Samsung folder. If you still cannot find the app, use your phone’s search function to locate it.

Please note: this FAQ is for text sending text messages. For information on using other messaging apps, please consult the developer’s website.

On receiving a message you will receive a notification in your messages app, to read this message you will need to:

1 On the home screen, choose Messages or swipe up to access your apps and choose Messages from the Samsung folder.
SMS message icon displayed
2 On opening the app you will see a list of your conversations. New messages will be displayed at the top of the list, and if they are unread a number in blue will appear beside the message (the number indicates the number of unread messages in a conversation).
Unread notification icon highlighted
3 Tap a message to open and read it.

Please note: If you would like to increase the size of the text you can find out how in our FAQ about accessibility settings.

Open message displayed
4 Once you have read the message you can choose to reply to the message by typing in the chat message box.
Chat message box displayed
5 Once you have finished writing your message, tap the send icon to send it.
send icon highlighted

To create and send a text message, you will need to:

1 On the home screen, choose Messages or swipe up to access your apps and choose Messages from the Samsung folder.
SMS message icon displayed
2 Tap the Compose icon.
Compose message icon selected on a Galaxy smartphone
3 Tap the plus (+) icon and select the contact you'd like to message.

If you want to send a message to someone who is not a contact you can type their number directly in to the Recipient box. You can also find out more about how to add and manage contacts.

Add contact selected on a Galaxy smartphone
4 Tap Done.
Done selected on a Galaxy smartphone
5 Type your message, then tap the Send icon.
Send icon selected on a Galaxy smartphone

Please note: if you exit a message before you send it, the message will be automatically saved as a draft.

Please note: MMS or Multimedia Messages may incur a charge from your network provider or may not be allowed by your network provider depending on your contract. If you are having difficulty sending or receiving MMSs, you should check with your network as to whether they are included in your contract.

An MMS, or Multimedia Message, is a type of message sent when attaching media to a text message. To send an MMS, you will need to:

1 On the home screen, choose Messages or swipe up to access your apps and choose Messages from the Samsung folder.
SMS message icon displayed
2 Tap the Compose icon.
Compose message icon selected on a Galaxy smartphone
3 Tap the plus (+) icon and select the contact you'd like to message.
Add contact selected on a Galaxy smartphone
4 Tap Done.
Done selected on a Galaxy smartphone
5 You can add a picture from Gallery by tapping the Picture icon, take a new picture by tapping the Camera icon or you can tap the Attach icon.
Attach multimedia icons highlighted on a Galaxy smartphone
6 Tap your chosen multimedia element.
Image selected from Gallery on a Galaxy smartphone
7 Tap Send. Depending on your device, you may need to tap Done before proceeding.
Send icon selected on a Galaxy smartphone with an image selected below

If you are experiencing problems sending an MMS, please contact your network provider.

You can turn on settings so that your message displays when it has been delivered and/or read. To turn this on:

1 Open the Messages app.
Messages app icon
2 Tap menu (three dots).
Menu icon highlighted
3 Tap Settings.
Settings selected
4 Tap More settings.
More settings selected
5 Tap Text messages or Multimedia messages, depending on which you would like to turn on.
Text messages and multimedia messages options selected
6 Slide the toggle to turn on Show when delivered or Show when read.
Show when delivered and Show when read toggles highlighted
7 When a text message has been delivered, “Delivered” will show next to the message.
Delivered highlighted
8 When a text message has been read, “Read” will show next to the message.
Read highlighted

To delete a text message, you will need to:

1 On the home screen, choose Messages or swipe up to access your apps and choose Messages from the Samsung folder.
SMS message icon displayed
2 Press and hold the message(s) you would like to delete or tap All.
All and conversation selected on a Galaxy smartphone
3 Tap Delete.
Delete icon selected on a Galaxy smartphone
4 Tap Delete again.
The word Delete selected on a Galaxy smartphone
5 Your message(s) has now been deleted.

The below steps will show you how to use the inbuilt forwarding option on your device.

1 On the home screen, choose Messages or swipe up to access your apps and choose Messages from the Samsung folder.
SMS message icon displayed
2 Open the message you wish to forward.
Message selected on a Galaxy smartphone
3 Press and hold down on the message text until you get a pop-up menu.
Message being pressed on a Galaxy smartphone
4 Tap Forward.
Forward selected on the message menu on a Galaxy smartphone
5 Select your contact(s), then tap Compose or Done. If you do not see this screen, skip to step 6.
Done selected under contacts on a Galaxy smartphone
6 Tap Send.
A message written and the send icon selected on a Galaxy smartphone

To block text messages, you will need to:

1 On the home screen, choose Messages or swipe up to access your apps and choose Messages from the Samsung folder.
SMS message icon displayed
2 Open the message you wish to block.
Message selected on a Galaxy smartphone
3 Tap menu (three dots).
Three dot menu selected inside a message on a Galaxy smartphone
4 Tap Block number or Block contact.

If you want to remove the number from your blocked list, tap Unblock number or Unblock contact.

Block number selected inside the menu on a Galaxy smartphone
5 Tap Block.
Block selected inside a Block number pop-up

To check your text message spam folder, you will need to:

1 On the home screen, choose Messages or swipe up to access your apps and choose Messages from the Samsung folder.
SMS message icon displayed
2 Tap menu (three dots).
Three dot menu selected inside Messages on a Galaxy smartphone
3 Tap Settings.
Settings selected inside drop down menu in Messages
4 Tap Block messages or Block numbers and messages.
Block numbers and messages selected on a Galaxy smartphone
5 Tap Blocked messages.
Blocked messages selected on a Galaxy smartphone
6 Any messages that have been blocked will now show.

MMS messaging is provided by your network, and MMS messaging and charges differ by provider.

You can block MMS messages on your mobile phone by requesting that your network provider discontinue the service for you.

To delay sending a text message, you will need to:

1 On the home screen, choose Messages or swipe up to access your apps and choose Messages from the Samsung folder.
SMS message icon displayed
2 Tap the Compose icon.
Compose message icon selected on a Galaxy smartphone
3 Tap the plus (+) icon and select the contact you'd like to message.
Add contact selected on a Galaxy smartphone
4 Tap Done.
Done selected under contacts on a Galaxy smartphone
5 Type your message, then tap the plus (+) icon to show the menu.

Please note: if you don’t see the plus (+) icon, tap the triangle (>) and it will appear.

Plus menu selected inside an SMS on a Galaxy smartphone
6 Tap Schedule message.
Schedule message selected inside the plus menu on a Galaxy smartphone
7 Choose the date and time, then tap Done.
Done selected on a calendar inside on a Galaxy smartphone
8 Tap Send.
Send icon selected with a date and time above on a Galaxy smartphone
9 An image will appear next to the scheduled message.
Clock image highlighted next to a message sent on a Galaxy smartphone

Your message notifications will be set to default. To change your default message tone, you will need to:

1 From the home screen swipe up to access your apps, then tap Settings.
Settings icon displayed
2 Tap Notifications.
Notifications selected inside the settings menu on a Galaxy smartphone
3 Scroll to Messages, then use the toggle to enable or disable your notifications.

If you can't see messages, make sure All has been selected.

All and toggle next to messages highlighted on a Galaxy smartphone
4 Tap messages and then general notifications to customise your alert sounds and notifications

You can set your Samsung Galaxy smartphone to send repeat notifications until you read your text or message. On later models, you can also set which apps and messages to set on repeat.

1 From the home screen swipe up to access your apps, then tap Settings.
Settings icon displayed
2 Tap Notifications.
Notifications selected inside the settings menu on a Galaxy smartphone
3 Tap Advanced settings.
Advanced settings selected under Notifications on a Galaxy smartphone
4 Slide the toggle next to Notification reminders to turn it on. On some devices you may need to tap Vision before choosing Notification reminders.
Notification reminders selected inside Advanced settings on a Galaxy smartphone
5 To change the interval at which you wish to be reminded, tap Notification Reminders, choose Remind every, then select your preferred interval time.
Different time slots show on a drop down menu under Notification reminders

Please note: using the inbuilt emoticons/smilies should not be chargeable when used in a normal length SMS (160 characters). If emojis from a third-party keyboard are used these could turn your SMS into MMS which may be chargeable depending on network.

You can express yourself in fun and creative ways with My Emoji. Create an emoji that looks just like you! 

You can capture photos and videos with My Emoji or share stickers of My Emoji with others. Find out more about how to create and use My Emojis.

1 On the home screen, choose Messages or swipe up to access your apps and choose Messages from the Samsung folder.
SMS message icon displayed
2 Tap the compose icon.
Compose message icon selected on a Galaxy smartphone
3 On the Samsung keyboard tap the Emoji icon. If you can't see this option, choose the smiley face to change your keyboard options.
emoji selected on a bar menu inside a message on a Galaxy smartphone
4 Choose the emoji you'd like to use.
My Emoji selected inside a message on a Galaxy smartphone
5 Tap Send.
Send icon selected with a My Emoji in the message body on a Galaxy smartphone

The Live Message feature allows you to use the S Pen to create a short, animated message. The feature is supported by most major instant messaging apps including Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Line and more.

1 Open Air Command by tapping the S Pen button twice.
2 Choose Live message. (You can also select it by tapping the Live Message icon on the Samsung keyboard).
3 Choose Pen effects to change the effects you might wish to change, e.g. colour or effects such as Sparkle, and adjust the thickness by swiping the slider.
4 Write your message using the S Pen.
5 Choose Done once finished.
6 Choose Share when you're ready to share your message.
7 Choose how you want to share it (e.g. via Messages or email etc.), select your recipient and send.

Click here to view the Samsung Smart Simulator: an interactive guide for everything from inserting your SIM card, to maximising battery life or using the S Pen.

To send a text message by voice, you will need to:

1 On the home screen, choose Messages or swipe up to access your apps and choose Messages from the Samsung folder.
SMS message icon displayed
2 Tap the Compose icon.
Compose message icon selected on a Galaxy smartphone
3 Tap to Enter message, then tap the Microphone icon.

On some operating systems, a radio wave icon will be displayed. This will allow you record a voice message, but it will be sent as an MMS which may incur a charge from your network provider.

Microphone icon selected on a Samsung keyboard
4 Start speaking. Your device should now type what you say.
Microphone selected while speech appears in the message text box on a Galaxy smartphone
5 Tap Send.
Send icon selected on a Galaxy smartphone with a speech recorded message written

Please note: available Bixby functions and features can differ by region and by device.

Before you can send a message using Bixby, you will need to make sure that the Bixby Key and Bixby Voice has been enabled. More information on how to set up Bixby services, can be found here.

1 Press and hold the Bixby Key.
Bixby button selected on the left side of a Galaxy smartphone
2 Once Bixby is listening, you will need to tell it who you would like to send the message to and the message you would like to send.
Message being recorded on a Galaxy smartphone
3 Tap Send or say Yes to send your message.
Send selected under Shall I send this message notification on a Galaxy smartphone
4 Bixby will confirm once it has sent your message.
Its been sent notification from Bixby displayed on a Galaxy smartphone

If you're experiencing unusual behaviour on Samsung mobiles, tablets or wearables, you can send us an error report or ask us a question in the Samsung Members app.

This allows us to take a closer look at what is happening. The data is anonymised and only held for the duration of the investigation. Find out more about sending an error report through the Samsung Members app.

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