URGENT: Help me create a Workaround so i can use Categories/Folders in Google SMS Messaging when migrating from Samsung SMS!!
We're being forced to move off of the Samsung messaging app where I have over 20+ Categories (ie "Folders) which has organized all of my group and single chats threads over the last 10 yrs.
(NOTE: see my attached screenshot of my 20+ Samsung Categories for reference)
Google SMS has nothing like this and pinning a single chat or group chat is NOTHING compared to dropping 50 diff chat threads into a single folder
Workaround: I HAVE tried creating Google Contacts and put those contacts into Groups (ie Folders) - that way my SMS messages can be found inside those groups ... but it's a clunky process because in order to view those groups I have to go into my contact APP to view those folders instead of my natice Google SMS app which is ridiculous
I thought about going to 3rd-party apps such as PULSE SMS because it organizes my chats in folders very effectively but I lose out on RCS... which I didn't know what that was... but now that I've researched it it seems like it's Mission critical for me to have RCS (and thus migrate to Google Messaging *sigh*).
2 key Questions:
MIGRATING: Does anybody have better workarounds on how to either migrate my 20+ Samasung Chat folders so they are not lost when I move from Samson's to Google ?
USING GOOGLE Chat FOLDERS:
And beyond the migrating process... does anyone have workarounds once I'm inside the Google ecosystem how to organize chats by folders/categories???
(NOTE: I will post in my first comment 2 possible solutions that I'm considering using...has anyone tried them??)
*** APPENDIX***
See my research below on RCS vs PULSE (pasted from my Google Gemini Pro chat thread):
While giving up your folder organization is a massive drawback, switching to Google Messages secures your access to RCS (Rich Communication Services)—an advanced protocol that fundamentally upgrades traditional SMS into a modern, internet-based chat platform similar to WhatsApp or iMessage.
By sticking with Google Messages, you gain essential upgrades that Pulse SMS cannot provide, such as seamless end-to-end encryption for privacy, high-resolution media sharing, real-time typing indicators, read receipts, and the ability to easily add, mention, or entirely leave group chats without breaking the thread.
Because third-party apps like Pulse SMS are blocked from integrating Android's official RCS infrastructure, choosing Pulse means your conversations will fallback to outdated SMS/MMS, which truncates long texts, compresses photos into grainy files, breaks group chats into individual threads, and leaves your messages unencrypted.
Recognizing how frustrating this transition is for users with intense folder structures, Google is reportedly developing organization features to cater to displaced Samsung users; therefore, sticking with Google Messages keeps you on a reliable, feature-rich network with proper group messaging, saving you from a clunky, degraded communication experience even if it means relying on a single-pane scroll or search bar until better organization tools roll out.