We're well into the process of converting the Messaging app included in GrapheneOS into a modern app. We'll be making a new release later today with a completely overhauled user interface written in Android Compose. We've made a massive amount of other improvements and bug fixes beyond that too.
Hm feels a bit like wasting resources. There are plenty of replacements available for the apps they plan to rewrite.
On the other hand there are areas where we have no good at all or parts of the OS where apps don’t cut it. Focus on these gaps instead.