What value does QKSMS add that Hangouts does not?

"It looks better" is a very valid answer, but honestly after reading the Google Play page, I'm still not sure. From reading the description in the Play Store, here's where I believe QKSMS differs from Hangouts:

* More visual customization

* Offers a mysterious QKReply feature (screenshot seems to suggest this is a special dialog for replying to incoming messages)

* MMS may sometimes be more difficult to set up

I think the screenshots tell most of the story here. It looks pretty incredible and I am willing to try it out.

Though my biggest question is how similar this thing is to another one called Textra. Can you talk a little bit about what's going on with both of these apps and why they look identical? Plus Textra already has 1-5 million installs.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.textra&hl=...

Beta tester from the start here. QKSMS looked the way it does from the start. Two months into QKSMS development Textra released that update. They're both following material design guidelines, but QKSMS definitely had it first.

Looks great, but the permissions seem to be a bit heavy-handed. Why does it require access to Wi-Fi and have the ability to add/remove device accounts, for example?

Nicely done - for a moment I thought this app was officially from Google because of the circle icon. :-)

Any plans for an option to switch off all those avatars?