How to text from Computer to Android Messages

Google has made it possible to text from your computer to Android Messages. The feature of texting from PC to Android gives lots of flexibility to users in choosing how and where they can start their conversations. They only need to turn on their Android smartphone to text from a desktop computer (by enabling an internet connection) or other devices that can run a web browser. Besides a text message, you can send stickers, emojis, and images over the web service.

You must use Android Messages app as your main (or default) texting app on smartphones to use Android Messages on the web. It can't work together if you use another messaging app, such as Samsung's message app, or another as your default texting app.

The requirement to get started with Android Messages on your computer

To get started with Android Messages on your computer, you should fulfill the following requirements:

On your phone:

• You need to use the latest version of the Android Messages app.
• Internet connection (either mobile data or Wi-Fi connection).
• Android device running on OS version 5.0 or higher. Here are the steps to check what version of Android you have.

On your computer:

• You should have any one of these web browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari. It is currently not available on Internet Explorer (IE).
• An internet connection (either mobile data or Wi-Fi connection).

How to setup and start with Android Messages from a Computer

The steps to set up and process to start with Android Messages from a Computer are very simple. Here are the steps to set up the Android Messages app with a PC:

1. Ensure that you are installed and using the latest Android Messages app on your Android smartphone.
2. Open your favorite browser (except IE) on your computer or other devices and visit "messages.google.com/web/." Here you will see a QR code at the right of the web screen.
   
3. Launch your Android Messages app on your phone and tap on the menu icon at the screen's upper-right. There has an option named "Device paring" within the menu list, tap on it.
4. Tap on the "QR code scanner" and focus your phone's camera over the QR code on the computer or other device. Within a few seconds, you will find that your phone vibrates, and then Android and computer will link up to use your Android Messages on the web.

On your computer, you will see that your messages and conversations appear on the left panel of the browser screen. To keep connecting your phone and computer and don't have to repeat scanning QR codes for using Android Messages, you need to enable the "Remember this computer" toggle button. First-time users of the web version of Messages, they might be got a pop-up asking to enable it. But remember that it is advised you don't enable this option if you are using a public computer that other people also access.

Check your text messages on your computer or Android tablet

When you successfully connect your phone and computer or Android tablet to the Android Messages app, you can use your PC to view and chat with your friends over the web. Reading or sending messages from your PC to your phone makes the same carrier charges apply to your phone app.

While opening Messages for the web on your computer, your conversations on other PCs or browser tabs are inactive. Even if you have connected to multiple devices, you can use only one device at a time.

To view your previous text conversations, tap on the contact from the left of the column you want to see. If there is any unread message, a Messages icon appears on your browser tab with a red notification with entire unread messages.

Read Android SMS and text using a Windows 10 on a PC

If your PC runs on Windows 10, you might be taught to use Microsoft's "Your Phone." The "Your Phone" feature of Windows 10 helps you read and text Android Messages on (or from) your computer.

Here are the steps and requirements how to read Android messages and texts using Windows 10 PC:

• First, you must install the "Your Phone" desktop application on your Windows 10 computer.
• If you are using a Windows device published after October 2018, that operating system already comes with an installed "Your Phone" application on your computer.
• Download and install a phone companion app that links to windows on your Android phone.
• A Microsoft account.

View Android messages using Microsoft's "Your Phone" app on a PC

1. Your computer and Android phone must be placed near each other and connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Type "Your Phone" in the Windows search tool at the bottom, and from the result, select "Your Phone" (in updated windows, it has "Link your phone") to open the app.
   
3. Click on the "Get started" button to begin setup.
   
4. Sign in with your Microsoft Account when prompted a screen. This Microsoft account must be the same as you are using on your Android phone.
   
5. Launch the Your Phone companion app to pair your Android device and computer.
6. Now, follow the prompts instructions to sign in and set up both devices with each other.

Dark theme for Messages on the web

The white and light gray of the device screen may overload your eyes to read or view text messages, especially at night. A dark mode option lets you read your mobile text messages comfortably. To activate the dark theme on the phone, tap on the "More" icon (3 vertical dots) and look for the "Choose theme." You can select any one from the available options either, light, dark, or the system default.

Also, you can access Android Messages on the web in a darker or high contrast look: for this, click on the more (three dots) icon to the right of "Messages" on your computer and enable the dark theme.

Important tips and facts

It is important to know that your latest text conversation threads, contacts, and other settings are encrypted and cached on your browser application. Also, if you don't use your Android Messages on the web for a few weeks, your devices (computer and Android phone) gets unpaired automatically for security purpose.

Keep your Android phone power on

The Android Messages on the computer can't work separately from your phone. It would be best if you always turned on your phone while using Android Messages from a computer. If your phone's battery dies or gets switched off for any reason, you won't be able to access Android Messages on the web. And this will refuse you from sending any text messages from your computer.

Drag media file into Android Messages conversation

It is also quite easy to send a photo from Android Messages while accessing it from the web. You can use it to send a photo by dragging or attaching a file by clicking right to emoji and stickers. Messages on the web also let you drag and drop media into the conversation screen to send as an MMS.

How to remove a computer from accessing your Android Messages

If you no longer want to use web service on a computer to access your messages and conversations, you can stop and unpair your PC from your Android phone. Unparing devices (phone and computer) helps prevent other people from viewing your messages, sensitive information, and conversation.

You can unpair or remove devices from each other from your PC side as well as from your Android phone. If you are using Messages (or Android Messages) on the web, especially on a shared or public computer, unpair your device when you are done.

Here are the steps to unpair devices from the computer side:

1. On your PC, visit "messages.google.com/web/".
2. At the upper left of the page, click on the more (three horizontal lines) icon.
3. From the available options, click on Unpair.

Here are the steps to unpair devices from the Android phone side:

Once again, visit "Device paring" on your phone in the Messages app and choose whether you want to sign out from individual computers or all of them with a single click. Look at the steps below:

1. On your Android phone, open the Android Messages app.
2. At the upper left of the screen, tap on the more (three dots) icon.
3. From the available options, tap on Device Pairing.
4. Now choose from where you want to unpair:
   • Unpair from a single PC: next to the PC you want to disconnect, tap on the Delete icon and then Unpair.
   • Unpair from all PCs: tap on Unpair all computers; it will unpair from all computers that are connected to your Messages app on your phone.