Help me find the right Android messaging app

September 16, 2019 12:47 PM

I bought a brand new Android phone from Verizon about 6 months ago. It's a ThinQ. I've been using their messaging app by default. But the GIF app I downloaded never shows up on that keyboard. Can someone identify a good app for me that will let me use GIF with it? I'm kind of stumbling around and not knowing what I'm doing. Thanks!
posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

Best answer: Try downloading the stock Google Messages app. I don't know how well it'll integrate your particular GIF app, but it definitely gives you access to lots of GIFs when you tap the circle with a plus symbol inside it that you'll see in the lower left corner of the conversation (you might need to scroll a bit to find the GIF section in the window that pops up).
posted by theory at 1:11 PM on September 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

Signal seems to support GIFs (I haven't used that feature myself).
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:28 PM on September 16, 2019

Best answer: Seconding Googles Messages app. I use it (on my LG V30 Thinq) for the Messages for Web feature, but there a plenty of gifs available in its gif search.
posted by zinon at 2:24 PM on September 16, 2019

Best answer: I haven't used the Google Messages app, but the key may be using an alternate keyboard app (such as Google Gboard or SwiftKey) which might be more likely to be compatible with that GIF outside of a specific messaging app.
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:46 PM on September 16, 2019

Best answer: I was a heavy user of Textra until I got my Pixel 2 last year, when I figured I'd try to use just stock apps as much as possible. Google Messages is really solid, and has a pretty robust gif search. Textra's really good too, but Google Messages is definitely a good choice.
posted by pdb at 3:01 PM on September 16, 2019

more likely to be compatible with that GIF outside of a specific messaging app.

Sorry, that should have been "with that GIF app outside" etc.
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:20 PM on September 16, 2019

Response by poster: Thanks, all! Google Messages worked!
posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat at 4:15 PM on September 16, 2019

Glad Google Messages works, but I can second Textra if you ever decide you want to give it a try. I used it for a couple years free and ended up paying the three bucks or whatever eventually.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:06 PM on September 16, 2019