Color Messages

What Happens When You First Open the App

The app opens with a clean, bright interface. A welcome screen appears with a brief introduction, but there is no tutorial. The main screen shows your SMS inbox, with conversations listed in a standard format. The default theme is a light blue and white colour scheme. At the bottom, there are four tabs: Messages, Contacts, Schedule, and Settings. The design is simple, almost too simple for an app that promises extensive customisation. Tapping the Settings icon reveals a long list of options. You can change themes, fonts, bubble styles, wallpapers, and ringtones. There is also a dedicated section for the "Private Box" – a locked folder for sensitive conversations. The app does not ask for any permissions upfront. No contacts, no SMS, no storage. It only requests access when you try to perform an action that requires it. This is a thoughtful approach, but it also means the app feels incomplete until you grant those permissions. The overall first impression is that the app is functional but lacks the polish of more established messaging apps.

The app's interface is largely similar to the default Android SMS app, with the addition of customisation options. The conversation list displays contact names, message previews, and timestamps. Swiping left on a conversation reveals quick actions: archive, delete, or mark as read. Swiping right opens the call option. These gestures are responsive and work smoothly. The scheduled messages feature is tucked away in a separate tab. You can compose a message, set a date and time, and the app will send it automatically. This is a useful feature for birthdays or reminders. However, the app does not offer a recurring schedule option – each message must be set individually. The customisation options are extensive. You can apply different themes to individual conversations, change bubble colours, and even set custom fonts. The app includes a dark mode, which switches automatically based on system settings. Overall, the app works as advertised, but the user experience is marred by frequent interruptions from video advertisements that appear when accessing certain features.

Where Customization and Reliability Collide

The app's core promise is personalisation. You can tailor every visual element to match your style. This is a strong selling point for users who find the default SMS app boring. However, the customisation options come at a cost. The app relies heavily on video advertisements to fund its free model. Every time you try to apply a new theme or change a setting, you are forced to watch a 15- to 30-second ad. This is frustrating, especially for users who want to experiment with different looks. The ads are intrusive and disrupt the flow of customisation. Some users report that even after watching the ad, the customisation does not always apply correctly. This creates a negative feedback loop: you watch an ad, the feature does not work, and you have to watch another ad to try again. The app's reliability issues compound this frustration. Messages sometimes fail to send or download, notifications are delayed or missed entirely, and the app crashes frequently, especially when opening specific conversations. These problems are well-documented across multiple user review platforms. The app's 3.00 rating from 140 reviews reflects these issues. Users who prioritise aesthetic customisation over reliability may still find value in the app, but those who depend on consistent, crash-free messaging for important communications will likely be disappointed.

The app's private box feature is a notable exception to the reliability issues. It works consistently, allowing users to lock conversations with a PIN, pattern, or biometrics. This is a useful feature for users who share their devices with others. The spam blocker also functions effectively, filtering out unwanted messages based on blacklist rules. These features demonstrate that the app has solid foundations in privacy and security. However, the core messaging functionality – sending and receiving messages – remains unreliable. This is a significant drawback for an app that positions itself as a full-featured SMS replacement. The app's description promises a "fast, smooth, and reliable messaging experience," but the user reviews tell a different story. The gap between the marketing promise and the actual user experience is wide. Users who install the app expecting a seamless experience are often disappointed.

Performance, Ads, and the Missing Changelog

The app performs adequately on a mid-range Android device when it is not crashing. Messages load quickly, and the interface is responsive. The scheduled messaging feature works as intended, sending messages at the specified time. The backup and restore function is reliable, allowing users to save their SMS and MMS data to internal storage and restore it when needed. However, the app's performance is inconsistent. Some users report that the app works perfectly for weeks, then suddenly starts crashing or failing to send messages. Others report that the app works fine on one device but is unusable on another. This inconsistency suggests that the app's compatibility with different Android versions and hardware configurations is not fully optimised. The app's size is relatively small – around 30 MB – which is a positive for users with limited storage. The latest version includes support for Android 16, indicating that the developer is at least making an effort to keep the app up to date with the latest operating system. However, the app's changelog is vague, listing only "various bug fixes and UI improvements" without specific details. This lack of transparency is a common complaint among users who want to know what has actually changed.

The app's ad model is its biggest weakness. The ads are not just annoying – they are intrusive and disruptive. Users report that ads appear even when they are not actively using the app, such as when they are composing a message or reading a conversation. The ads are often video ads that play automatically with sound, which can be embarrassing in public settings. Some users report that the ads cause the app to crash or freeze. The app does not offer a paid ad-free version, which means users have no way to escape the ads. This is a significant missed opportunity. A premium version without ads would likely attract users who are willing to pay for a better experience. The app's developer, Xie Linlin, is based in Dalian, China, and has provided a contact email ([email protected]) for support. However, user reviews suggest that support is slow or non-existent. The app's privacy policy is not linked within the app, and the data safety section on the Play Store states that the app may share device IDs with third parties but does not collect any other data. This is a positive privacy stance, but the lack of a clear privacy policy within the app is a concern for users who value transparency.

The Joker Malware History and What It Means for This App

A separate app called "Color Message" was found to contain Joker malware in 2021. That app was downloaded over 500,000 times before Google removed it from the Play Store. The malware accessed users' contacts and subscribed them to unwanted premium services without their knowledge. This history is important context for users considering any app with a similar name. The current app – "Color Messages: SMS, Messenger" – is a different app with a different package ID (com.messages.color.sms.messenger) and a different developer (Xie Linlin). There is no evidence that this app contains malware. However, the similarity in name and functionality may cause confusion. Users who remember the Joker malware incident may be wary of installing any app with "Color" in the name. The current app's privacy practices are relatively transparent. The data safety section states that data is encrypted in transit and that users can request data deletion. However, the app does not provide a clear privacy policy within the app itself. Users who are concerned about privacy should be cautious. The app's permission requests are minimal, which is a positive sign. However, the app does not offer end-to-end encryption for messages, which is a standard feature in many modern messaging apps. This is a significant omission for an app that claims to prioritise privacy with its "private box" feature. The private box locks conversations behind a PIN or biometrics, but the messages themselves are not encrypted. This means that while the app prevents casual access, the data is still stored in plain text on the device. For users who require true privacy, this is a limitation.