Following the formal release of Android Lollipop which is currently underway, Google has begun breaking out select applications from the new build to older Android versions, and the completely rebuilt Messenger app is the first one to see a wide release. Unlike the Hangouts app that was previously shipped as the default messaging client in KitKat, the Lollipop Messenger app only handles SMS and MMS messaging with additional features, such as audio messaging, improved contact search, SMS blocking, and support for emoji emoticons. The new application is available now on Google Play and will eventually replace the standard Android Messaging client.
