Help Android Text Messaging Questions

[Android Question]

I am considering switching from iphone to Android, but my biggest concern involves messaging. I have not been able to get any satisfactory answers on this, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Here's the questions, if I switch, what would be the normal texting platform? Would it be standard SMS texting? Is their a limit to the amount of characters per text, or can it run on like imessage and email? And most importantly, can a record of the texts on the Android be kept, just like it is in imessage? If I switch from
a Samsung Galaxy 5 to a Nexus 6 for example, would the entire history of my text messages come along with it (just like u never lose ur history in imessage when u get a new iphone, it comes with you)? If the answer is that the history comes along, how is that done? When u go to text someone in ur contacts, is the whole texting history right there as u begin a new text (like imessage)? Thank u and sorry if I was repetitive.

 

[El Presidente]

There's a standard messaging app on both phones which uses SMS, but there are loads of replacement SMS apps you can download from the Play Store.

The limit is 160 characters iirc, but the message is over that, it will send multiple messages. However, if you're using a 3rd Party messaging app, it can send longer messages via MMS.

Your messages wouldn't automatically carry over from one phone to another, but there are plenty of SMS backup and restore apps which will backup from one phone, then restore to another.

If you do switch, remember to switch imessage off before you start using your new android as not doing so has been known to cause issues when your mates who are still using iPhones send you messages.