Google is rolling out the promised web client for Android Messages. The company today launched the new web app for Android Messages, which works similar to WhatsApp Web and Allo Web. To start messaging from your browser, all you need to do is open up Android Messages on your phone and scan the QR code shown by the site. Once that’s done, you will be able to access your existing messages or send new ones from your browser. You can send things like stickers, emojis, pictures, etc. as you would normally expect.

Android Messages is Google’s take on a standardised messaging platform for Android devices, based on RCS. The platform, supported by a bunch of careers and Android manufacturers, works a lot like iMessage. It effectively offers a modern platform for messaging, allowing you to send and receive rich data without relying on SMS or MMS. Apart from the new web app, it’s also getting a couple of other new features — Smart Reply, link previews, ability to copy OTP codes from notifications, and the ability to send GIFs.

Android Messages — right now — is a bit of a confusing mess. A bunch of carriers support RCS and some device makers are including Android Messages as the default messaging app, but as a regular consumer, you will have a hard time finding out whether your carrier and device maker supports this new platform. Either way, there’s clearly a lot of work to be done here if Google really wants to build an iMessage competitor, but the web client is a good step forward.

Tagged with Android, Android Messages, RCS