How to make Aura your default SMS app on Android

Start with your phone, not a new messaging account

Aura is an Android SMS application. Your phone needs SMS capability and an active carrier service for carrier messaging. Aura supports English and Hebrew; it is not an iPhone app or a replacement for your mobile plan.

There is no Aura messaging-account signup. Install from the official Google Play listing so you receive the app through its normal distribution channel.

Choose Aura as the default

Android gives the selected default SMS app the role needed to manage carrier messages. Follow the system prompt rather than granting unrelated access.

1. Install and open Aura Messaging from Google Play.
2. Follow Aura's setup prompts and select it in Android's default SMS dialog.
3. If the prompt is unavailable, open Settings, then Apps, Default apps and SMS app; choose Aura.
4. Review the permissions requested for the features you choose, then check your inbox and notification settings.

What happens to existing messages?

Aura reads carrier SMS through Android's message provider. Existing messages available in that provider can appear in Aura; this does not import every message or attachment from another app's private storage.

Making Aura the default does not move your number, change your carrier plan or add WhatsApp or RCS conversations. Ordinary carrier SMS is not end-to-end encrypted.

If Aura is missing from the list

Confirm the app is installed on the same phone/profile and that the phone meets the Android requirement. Managed work profiles or manufacturer settings can restrict the default-app choice. Menu wording differs across Android devices.

You can change the default SMS app again in Android settings. Before uninstalling an app or clearing its data, review your backup choices. Contact support with the phone model, Android version and a description of the issue, without sending private messages or verification codes.