Google Messages for the web is a handy tool that lets you use the messaging app on your laptop/computer, all without needing to physically tether your phone or use a different third-party app like Phone Link.
As it stands today, accessing the platform is easy. You simply head to www.messages.google.com/web/ and sign in with your Google account or by scanning a QR code via the Google Messages app on your phone.
How to use Google Messages on your laptop or desktop
All those conversations right at your fingertips
If you’re someone that often uses laptops/computers that aren’t yours, like office or library machines, then you’d definitely want to avoid signing in your entire Google Account into the temporary machine’s browser.
In such cases, logging in by scanning a QR code creates a sandboxed session that only brings your Google Messages data onto said temporary computer/laptop.
This workflow, however, is about to change.
One step forward, one step backward
As spotted by the folks over at 9to5Google, using the QR code pairing option today is alerting users of a change. “Sign in with your Google account to stay connected,” reads the prompt, as seen in the image above, adding that “QR code pairing is going away soon. To avoid interruption, sign in with your Google Account to pair with Messages for web.”
Google wants all of its native services to be accessible via a central Google account, so the upcoming change does make somewhat sense. And considering that the majority of users would already be signed in to their Google account, the change simply eliminates the friction in the physical act of reaching for your phone.
At the same time, the change also feels like a step backward when it comes to privacy in shared environments, forcing users on shared devices to ensure that they sign out of their Google account once they’re done using Google Messages on the web,
Google hasn’t provided a specific sunset date for the QR method. It simply said QR code pairing is going away “soon.”
