Messenger, WhatsApp, LINE, Viber, and Snapchat offer different combinations of messaging, calls, and media sharing on Android. The most useful choice starts with the service your friends or family already use.
Several names in the original selection have changed substantially: Skype, Hangouts, and consumer BBM were discontinued, while Tango shifted toward live streaming.
Messenger
Messenger supports chats and calls with people on Facebook and Messenger without requiring their phone numbers. It also offers high-definition photo sharing, shared albums, stickers, GIFs, and chat themes.
For group conversations, shared albums provide a place to organize photos and videos. Messenger also supports files up to 100MB and lets you edit a message within 15 minutes of sending it.
Skype
Microsoft retired consumer Skype on May 5, 2025, so it is no longer an Android messaging recommendation. Skype for Business was excluded from that retirement, and Microsoft directed consumer users toward Teams Free.
The old Google Play download has been removed. Microsoft’s Skype retirement information explains the transition and the conditions governing retained chat history; the general export deadline passed in June 2026.
WhatsApp uses your phone number and lets you find contacts who also use the service. Personal messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted, and group chats support photos, videos, and documents.
Voice and video calls can include up to 32 people. WhatsApp charges no subscription fee for these messaging features, though mobile data charges may apply, and its Status updates disappear after 24 hours.
Google Hangouts
Google discontinued Hangouts on November 1, 2022. It had developed from a Google+ feature into a separate messaging service before Google moved users toward Chat and Meet.
Its former Google Play listing is gone. The old recommendation to install Hangouts for messaging or calls therefore no longer applies.
IM+
IM+ was known for bringing multiple messaging services into one client. That history explains its place alongside individual messaging apps, but both the free and Pro Android listings return unavailable pages.
The Android editions should therefore be treated as unavailable on Google Play. The former description does not establish which networks or features would work in an old installed copy.
LINE
LINE combines messages with voice and video calls, stickers, emojis, and themes. It also works across supported mobile, desktop, and Wear OS devices.
Its Keep Memo feature provides a personal space for temporarily storing messages, photos, and videos. LINE recommends Android 11 or later for the full experience and notes that data charges may apply.
Tango
Tango emphasizes live streams, creators, and live video chat. Its Google Play listing carries a Mature 17+ rating and includes in-app purchases.
That makes its role different from a straightforward family messaging app. Consider it for its live social community rather than the older contact-based messaging features described when it first appeared in this selection.
Rakuten Viber
Viber supports text, voice messages, media sharing, and both voice and video calls. Group video calls support up to 60 people, and group chats support up to 250 members.
End-to-end encryption is enabled by default for personal and group chats and calls between Viber users. The separate Viber Out service offers paid calling to supported landline and mobile numbers.
Snapchat
Snapchat centers on photos and videos while also offering live messaging and video chats with up to 16 friends. Lenses, Filters, and Bitmoji add visual options to those conversations.
Its Memories feature can save photos and videos for later. Recipients can capture or save messages, including through screenshots, so disappearing content should not be treated as impossible to retain.
BBM
Consumer BlackBerry Messenger shut down on May 31, 2019, after expanding beyond BlackBerry phones to Android and iOS in 2013. It had supported individual and group conversations, pictures, voice notes, and other shared content.
BBM Enterprise continued as a separate paid business service. That does not make the discontinued consumer BBM app an available option for this Android selection.
Updated October 2026: Marked retired apps, explained Tango’s changed focus, and corrected messaging and calling features. The original article was published in March 2020.
