Use Messages for web with Google Fi

You can use your computer to text with your friends with Messages for web. It also shows what’s on your Messages mobile app.

You can only use Messages with Android. Make sure to download the latest version of Messages by Google.
You can't receive two-factor authentication text messages with Messages for web. To receive these messages, you must use a phone.

Choose how you use Messages for web

To use Google Fi with Messages by Google online, you have 2 options:

Option 1: Send & receive texts only

To text with Messages for web, learn how to check your messages on your computer.

You can send and receive texts like high-resolution photos with RCS chats.
With a connection from your computer to your phone, Messages for web can send SMS text messages. After you turn on text on your computer, to stay connected, you still must have your phone.
Carrier fees apply, like on the mobile app.

Option 2: Text, call & voicemail sync with Google Account

For a similar experience to Hangouts, we recommend you use this option.

Make calls, send texts, and check voicemail with your phone or computer. Even when your phone is off, text conversations stay synced across the Messages mobile app and Messages for web.
With this option, RCS chats aren’t available.
Call history is stored online for 180 days and doesn’t sync with the Google Phone app.
On your computer, make sure you use one of these browsers:
- Google Chrome
- Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
  - Chromium is required for voice calling.
- Safari

To use this option, RCS chats must be off. If you already use Google Messages, before you sync your conversations, you need to turn off RCS chats.

On your phone, open the Messages app .
At the top right, tap your account icon Message settings Advanced.
Tap Google Fi Wireless settings.
Sign in to your Google Fi account.
To sync your conversations, tap Sync conversations.
- To sync with data, turn off Sync only over Wi-Fi.
When the sync is done, at the top, you can find “Sync complete.”
To find your conversations, go to Messages.

Tips:

Sync can take up to 24 hours. During the sync, you can still text, make calls, and check voicemail on the web.
If you experience any problems with the sync, like messages out of sync between your phone and the web:
1. At the top right, tap your account icon Message settings Advanced.
2. Tap Google Fi Wireless settings Stop sync & sign out.
3. Sign in and resume the sync.
If you use Messages for web on a shared or public computer, turn off the sync when you’re done.
If you transfer from Hangouts, you also back up current conversations from the Messages app to your Google Account.
If you sync conversations, they’re stored in your Google Account and available from multiple devices.

Fix problems with Messages for web

Can’t sync messages or sync never completes

First, file feedback from the Messages app on their phone:
- At the top right, tap your account icon Help and Feedback Send Feedback.
Next turn the Google Fi sync feature off and back on:
1. On your phone, open the Messages app .
2. At the top right, tap your account icon Message settings Advanced.
3. Tap Google Fi.
If you restart the sync and the issue isn’t resolved or the sync doesn’t complete after 24 hours:
- To file a bug, escalate the case to Tier 2 agents.

Can’t find the calling option

The Google Fi integration is disabled. To reconnect it through the sync process:

On your phone, open the Messages app .
At the top right, tap your account icon Message settings Advanced.
Tap Google Fi.

Use a school or work account

If you use a work or school Google Account, check if your administrator allows Messages for web.

Format phone numbers correctly

Do not copy and paste the phone number. Type it instead.
For international calls, type the correct country or region code. Make sure not to enter it twice.

Device rings even after a call is declined on the web

This works as intended. On all synced devices, decline the call.

Calls stop suddenly

This is a rare issue which is reported, but our engineering team can’t reproduce.

To submit feedback from the Messages app, users must tap the account icon Help and Feedback Send Feedback.
Record all details of the issue such as computer OS, browser, use of VPN, numbers dialed, frequency, and location.
To file a bug, escalate the case to Tier 2 agents.

Suggested script:

“We can’t guarantee that this issue can be fixed so we may not follow up with you. However, we appreciate your time to report it. For the inconvenience, here’s $20 USD.”

Delete texts, call history & voicemail on the web

Delete a text

If you delete the Messages app from your phone, your texts in Messages for web aren’t deleted.

Open Messages for web.
On the left, select Messages .
Next to the text message you want to delete, select More .
Tap Delete.

Delete a call from your call history

When you delete a call from your call history, the call only deletes from Messages for web. After 6 months, your call history is automatically deleted from Messages for web.

Open Messages for web.
On the left, select Calls .
Select the call you want to delete from your history.
At the top right, select More .
Tap Delete Delete here.

Delete a voicemail

When you delete a voicemail, the voicemail is deleted from your Google Account and all of your devices.

Open Messages for web.
On the left, select Voicemail .
Select the voicemail you want to delete.
At the top right, select Delete Delete.

Recover deleted messages

This isn’t currently supported in the product. If the message still exists in the Messages app on your phone, we recommend to download it from there.

Stop sync of texts, calls & voicemail

If you want to stop backup of your texts, call history, and voicemail to your Google Account, you can stop sync. If you use Hangouts for text messages, you can still find your text messages in Gmail.

On your phone, open the Messages app .
At the top right, tap your Account icon Message settings Advanced.
Tap Google Fi Wireless settings.
Sign in to your Google Fi account.
Tap Stop sync & sign out.
- If prompted, tap Stop syncing. This doesn’t delete previous synced texts, call history, and voicemail.

Tip: If you want to use text only with RCS chats, turn on RCS chats.