Stephen Headrick / Android Authority
I’m tired of Google Messages on the web. Tired of constantly having to re-verify my credentials. Tired of not being able to send a voice message. Tired of a watered-down version of what has turned into quite a beautiful messaging application on Android phones. In a world where iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, and so many other incredible options exist, it’s time for Google to expand its recently improved messaging efforts beyond the smartphone.
What is your primary messaging service? 17 votes Built-in messages app 41 % WhatsApp 59 % Signal 0 % Other (let us know in the comments!) 0 %
Messaging matters on other devices, too
Stephen Headrick / Android Authority Don't get me started on how frequently I have to re-verify my account in the web app...
Google’s only native messaging app is built for mobile Android devices. The company has given a lot of love and attention to its mobile app over the past year, with a pretty steady stream of UI updates and new features that have turned the app into quite an enjoyable experience.
When using the Messages Android app, you can feel that it’s been built specifically for mobile. It feels native to the platform. Animations are smooth. Interactions are responsive. The app uses Google’s latest Material 3 Expressive design guidelines throughout its interface. Messages for mobile is very obviously a modern experience.
However, using Google Messages on either your computer or tablet feels like an entirely different experience. The lack of feature parity to its mobile counterpart is genuinely shocking to me.
To be clear, the basics are the same on any device. You can send messages, react with emojis, attach photos, etc. — you know, what you’d expect from any messaging app. But just below those surface-level features, the entire experience begins to fall apart.
Stephen Headrick / Android Authority
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