Android has really challenged Apple’s iOS to become a market leader in telecommunication services and its App market continues to thrive.  Many of the best apps for SMS/texting/chat are some of the old favourites (they just keep getting better!) but there are some newbies out there too. We look a little further into the top apps here.

Skype

One of the original VoIP platforms, Skype has grown to be one of the biggest calling and texting apps globally. The instant messaging available on the app for Android makes texting easy, with decent rates (varying depending on location) for sending international SMS/texts.

Google Voice

Die-hard Google fans like Google Voice because of its easy integration with their Gmail account, G-chat and the unique Google Voice number you can have assigned to you. Even with unlimited free SMS/text messages and group messaging, this app should be tried out for a while before committing as it still has some bugs to be worked out.  Unfortunately the app remains US only for the foreseeable future although there are rumours of opening this up further in late 2017-2018.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp came later to the table than Skype or Google Voice, but fast became one of the global leaders for texting. Boasting more customization options than most text-messaging services, (multimedia messages, inserting emoticons, changing the conversation's wallpaper and title editing in group messaging are just a few) What’sApp is definitely one of the best Android texting apps out there.  At the time of writing, Facebook’s buyout has not affected the functionality and at less than a dollar year it really is a must have.  The only possible downside is that the app only works when both users have it installed, but since it is so popular this is a small obstacle that is easily overcome. Just install it!

Viber

Viber is another VoIP app that allows texting as well as group chat with up to 40 people in the loop. Free calls and texting are available between Viber users on Wi-Fi. Most people use Viber for calling, but the texting capability is a nice bonus. 

TextSecure

This is the Android texting app for conspiracy theorists. TextSecure requires you to create a password upon startup, and encrypts texts sent to and from other TextSecure users. It’s perfect if you and your friends are worried about having your messages spied on (everyone has that annoying geeky little brother, right?)… On the flip-side, the Edward Snowden revelations of a couple of years ago revealed grave concerns about data security.  While the consumer market largely took the hit without too much of a panic, there remain those who wish to strive for a little extra security than the Average Joe. TextSecure, or a similar service can therefore be useful.

Try one of these top SMS/texting apps for Android, and stop shelling out for expensive local and international texts to your phone operator.