Re: Google Messages

On Thu, 22 May 2025 12:44:31 +0100, Andy Burns wrote :

I've known about Google Messages on the Web for a long time (which lets
you link a browser window to your phone using a QR code)
 
But a feature I've not noticed before, is to pair two android devices
which share a Google account, so you can e.g run the native Messages app
on a tablet (which in my case is wifi only without mobile data) and
send/receive text messages to/from it via your phone's SIM.

This is what Apple did by requiring all devices to have an account on the
mothership - and which Google is copying (apparently) by the same trick.

Once you have an account on the mothership that you are willing to log
into, then "Google Messages" is not all that different from Email is now.

1. Google Messages uses your Google Account as the central point for
syncing your messages.

2. Your phone, with its active SIM and mobile data/Wi-Fi connection, is
still the primary device that sends and receives SMS/MMS messages. The
tablet acts as a "remote" interface, essentially mirroring the messages
from your phone.

3. Because both devices are logged into the same Google Account and have
Google Messages set up, conversations, contacts, and other settings are
synced. When you send a message from your tablet, it's routed through your
phone's SIM. When a message is received on your phone, it appears on your
tablet.