Android 4.4 To Let You Set A 3rd Party Messaging App As Default

The Android 4.4 KitKat update is getting near and we are all excited to see what comes out of the brain trust over at Google. One feature that they have confirmed is the ability for users to choose a third-party app as their default SMS or MMS app. This has of course never been available before.  Google notes that many third-party SMS and MMS apps have already been made using workarounds to gain access to users’ text messages, a method that it doesn’t quite condone. The specific changes which have been made are to SMS_DELIVER_ACTION and WAP_PUSH_DELIVER_ACTION, SMS and MMS respectively, which will only work with one app at a time starting with Android 4.4.

The details come amid rumours that Google will also begin bundling SMS and MMS messaging right into its Hangouts app, creating a competitor to Apple’s iMessage. It also reports that Google will do away with Android’s traditional Messaging app, leaving Hangouts as the only built-in text messaging option for Nexus devices. This is something we have wanted for some time, as Google have struggled somewhat to encompass all their messaging platforms into a single solution.

Thank you NextPowerUp and BandwithBlog for providing us with this information.