Try Simple Mobile Tools. I've had mixed experiences with them. Some were great and others were a little too simple for my use cases. But I've mostly heard good things.
ETA: They're available on F-droid and can be updated with Obtainium.
this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2023
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Simple SMS Messenger, Simple Contacts Pro, Simple Dialer
all on fdroid
A word of warning about replacing the default SMS app, some manufacturers tie the emergency alerts functionality to it, and if you select another app as the default (as Android insists you do for some reason) it's possible you won't get emergency alerts anymore.
Wow it may get rid of those annoying alerts too? Win-win!
Heh over here the alerts are about actual public danger (hurricanes, chemical spills, fires etc.) so you want to get them.
QKSMS is on Fdroid, and you can download the APKs on their GitHub as well.
What sort of features that you think you'll be missing?
QKSM is dead
although sadly true, it still works quite reliably for me at least.
Project /e/OS (Custom Android Rom) maintains their own version built into the Rom. Funny how I didnt know this and when I downloaded QKSMS just now, I was like "This looks oddly familiar"
https://community.e.foundation/t/is-qksms-still-used-in-e-os/52655
What is broken that it needs to be updated to fix? I use it every day and it works fine.
I'll forever be in mourning that Signal shot themselves in the foot and stopped functioning as an SMS app replacement
QKsms premium features are free if downloaded from f-droid.
I use "simple dialer" and "simple contacts". "Simple" applications usually work well, and their pro versions are available for free on f-droid.
Signal is dropping SMS support so it wouldn't do you any good regardless.
I use Silence.
Last update in 2019..
Yes, it hasn't been updated for a long time, I don't understand why, but it can encrypt messages, which is my favorite feature, so I use it all the time.
If all you want is encrypted SMS, switch to Partisan SMS (active fork of QKSMS). A 5 year out of date app is terribly insecure. Use Obtanium for automatic updates from the Github repo.
Frame challenge: to avoid mass surveillance, a good FLOSS E2EE app ✌️😎
I use qksms from fdroid. I did not even realize they have premium features. Its a great app