Have you ever wanted to send text messages from the comfort of your desktop or laptop computer? Well if you're on Android, now you can thanks to the latest update of the Android Messages app. Android Messages is Google's SMS/RCS chat client on Android devices. It's pre-installed on millions of devices worldwide and thanks to the update, you can now access all of your messages from a web client that works on browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, and more. The best part? It's totally free!
Earlier today, Google started to roll out the web client for Android Messages. We knew this was coming since an earlier APK Teardown in February and early April. In mid-April, Google officially announced the feature. The company hasn't yet announced it yet, but there's reason to believe deeper integration between Chromebooks and Android Messages will arrive as will a beautiful new Google Material Design theme. If that doesn't convince you to switch over to Android Messages from Pushbullet, Textra, or whatever other chat/PC sync client you're using already, then check out the Messages for Web client below.
Android Messages for Web User Interface
Screenshots credit: XDA Recognized Developer Quinny899
As you can see, the web client is pretty minimalist but packs a lot of features on top of a beautiful Google Material Theme. The web client matches the new design language that Google touted at Google I/O 2018. All of your existing conversation histories are accessible in the app so you won't miss out on anything by connecting your Android phone to your laptop or desktop PC. You can send emojis, upload images, and more just like you can on the Android app. That's not surprising considering the web client basically just acts as a front-end to the Android app—your phone is still doing the heavy lifting here.
Android Messages for Web Features
- Works on most desktop browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari, and Opera
- Send text messages to all of your existing contacts
- Get alert for new messages
- See message content in notifications on your PC
- Dark theme & high contrast modes are available
- Keep the PC synced with your phone so you won't have to scan a QR code every time
- If the phone is using mobile data, the web client can warn you
- Keyboard shortcuts are available for ease of use
How to setup and use Android Messages for Web
Android Messages (Free, Google Play) →
- You need to download the latest version of the Android Messages application on your Android device. This is version 3.3.043 that's rolling out on the Play Store today. We've embedded a link to the app on the Play Store above.
- Open the app and tap on the three-dot menu located in the top right. You may also see a popup telling you about the feature. Tapping "try it" will also work.
- Select "Messages for web."
- Tap "Scan QR code." See the screenshot below.
- On your web browser like Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc., go to this web page.
- On the web page, toggle "remember this computer" if the computer you are using is one you will use frequently. Otherwise, disable it for security.
- Using the QR code scanner on your phone, scan the QR code that appears on your PC. See the screenshot below.
- After scanning the code, you should successfully connect to your laptop or desktop PC. You should see a notification that says "Connected to Messages for web" if successful. And if you go back to the app, you'll see a list of signed-in computers in the "Messages for web" settings. See the screenshots below.
- Enjoy sending text messages from your desktop or laptop PC!
Screenshots credit: XDA Recognized Developer Quinny899
If any new features become available or if anything changes in the setup process, we'll let you all know.
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