GO SMS Pro

*I am using a Samsung Galaxy S III for this application review*

I downloaded this application months ago and I finally feel comfortable enough to write a review for this app since I am well acquainted with it. This app's main purpose is to replace the stock SMS app that Android offers you. I will admit that after a while, the stock application got really stale and tiring. I felt like I needed more and that I should be given more features than just messaging. This app goes above and beyond in that respect and it simply amazes me.

I'll start with the physical interface. The primary screen looks exactly like the stock Android Messaging application. They moved the attachment button to the bottom left as opposed to keeping it with the phone button on the top right and obviously changed the colors to make it more enticing for the user. The colors also help differentiate who sent what message since the stock application kind of blended it all together, using only a thin grey line as a divider. Otherwise, the main user interface is practically identical to the stock. What sets this application apart from the stock texting application is the features. 

When you swipe to the right, you are shown the what this app can really do. With this app, you can send scheduled text messages. You select the person or persons you will text along with the date and time the text should be sent as well as the content of the message. You are also given a notification when the text was sent, which I find useful since I tend to forget about scheduled messages at times. Another stellar feature is the ability to backup text messages. This is really useful if you’re switching phones, or want to delete the current messages, but still have a copy of them for whatever reason. They are backed up to the SD card within your phone and can be restored upon reinstallation of the application. You can also create a schedule for the backups, so you won’t have worry about important text messages or MMS’s not being up to date. SMS Blocker is another invaluable feature, giving you the power to block those pesky spam messages and old contacts you simply do not want to talk to. At the very top of the menu is the Theme button. This offers you, the important user, the option to change the physical display of the UI. Since I prefer the layout of an iPhone, with the freedom of a Android, I have the iPhone theme set up for my messages. The GO SMS community also offers Windows Phone styled messages as well as custom themes and colors.

GO SMS Pro also has chat heads and pop-ups, similar to Facebook Messanger and the iPhone lock screen respectively. The chat heads simply pop up in the top right hand corner of your screen with a little number that represents the messages sent by them. It’s useful if you like chat heads and prefer quick accessibility to texting them. I don’t find myself using it as much since I don’t really like the look of the chat heads themselves, but it can come in handy.

Swiping to the left brings up the contact list in a neat and clean manner. When you click on someone’s name, you bring up the chat conversation for them. It’s a clean design and very intuitive. I use it on occasion when I cannot remember someone’s number or if I don’t remember the name they have in my phone. Pressing the menu button brings up the third and final panel of settings. Some of the settings overlap such as Auto Reply and Theme, but there are other settings as well, some that are quite handy. The Search function is exactly what it sounds like, a searching tool. It lets you search by contact name or content. Typing in keywords for content brings up any text message that you has what you searched for. The screenshot function helps screenshot text message strings. It works by shaking the phone, but it seems a bit buggy. I lifted up my phone and that counted as a shake It could get quite annoying after a while, but you wouldn’t leave the setting on for that long. Once the photo is taken, it lets you use a white brush to white out any text you don’t want visible. This is a fantastic idea and works great! Then you are given the option to save the image or share on what I assume would be social networking websites. I would delve into the option that says settings, but I’d be here for hours. Essentially, you can change the font size, color, and style of practically anything in the app from time stamps to the contact’s name.

GO SMS Pro is a fantastic texting application alternative and I love using it. I have been using it for about four months now and enjoy using it everyday. They give me so much freedom in how I want everything to look, and they wrap everything up in a nice clean format. There is no hassle, hours will not be spent trying to find the settings menu (I hope!) and the features the application offers go above and beyond any of my initial expectations. I am thoroughly pleased with the application and recommend it to anyone.

GO SMS Pro: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jb.gosms