Are Third Party SMS Apps Worth It?

 

Third party SMS apps are meant to add a bunch of wonderful customization and security features to your texting experience. While the default texting app on your phone is probably pretty simple, some of these apps may be able to offer something that improves the way you communicate.

I will go through some of the most popular texting apps and point out some of my favorite features about each one.

Textra SMS

Texting someone is something that I don’t want to put a lot of effort into. If I have to stop and search for a particular feature in the middle of a conversation, it can be very frustrating. The “Hey Bot” that comes with the Textra app is a messaging bot that will answer any questions that you have about how the app functions. It will come in handy when exploring the many tools that Textra offers.

My two favorite features about this app are the customization settings and the notification bar quick reply. You’ll have the ability to customize the look of this app down to the very last detail. You can even change the color of the app icon and style from within the settings menu. The quick reply will offer a fully functional texting experience from within the notification menu. You wont give up access to any tools like emojis or attachments when using the app in quick reply mode.

 

Chomp SMS

Chomp SMS stands out with its security feature that lets you enable a passcode to access your app. This is a valuable feature to have because your text messages are some of the most sensitive information that you’ll store on your phone.

The themes that you can choose from are really great. You’ll find a really cheesy one here and there but from the most part they’re easy on the eyes. You can even create and save your own themes.

EvolveSMS

Evolve has an awesome desktop messaging feature that is compatible with pushbullet. As someone who uses pushbullet everyday, the ability to send and receive texts from my favorite browser extension is a very attractive feature.

Evolve has the same passcode feature as Chomp but with a little something extra. Not only can you set a passcode for the app but you can protect individual conversations as well. This will hide those secret conversations that you have with your ex from prying eyes.

 

Yaata SMS

It’s very important for a texting experience to go smoothly. A single lag or unreasonably long load time can have you throwing your phone across the room. Yaata SMS is a lightweight and super fast texting app. Sure your customization features are plentiful, but this app is for those that like a clean interface that doesn’t get in the way of your conversation.

This app is very pleasant to use, but without offering some sort of feature that really improves my texting sessions, I would only switch to this app if I was unhappy with my default app.

What is your favorite texting app? Let us know what you like about it!