Google Messages (was Google Chat)

fox · July 22, 2021, 04:36:26 PM

I just read about this and installed it on my Samsung phone. It is definitely a visual improvement on the Samsung message application I was using. Has anyone else tried this? Are there any downsides over using the Samsung app for text messages?

ssfc72 · July 23, 2021, 06:24:13 AM

I haven't tried the Google Chat, texting app. I looked it up and apparently it is new and is going to replace the Google Hangout app.

I use the TexrNow texting app on my cellphone. With TextNow you are also assigned an actual phone number and if your phone has a wifi connection, you can make and receive voice calls.

Jason · July 23, 2021, 01:17:17 PM

What is the Samsung texting application? Does it send and receive regular texts? I have a Motorola phone so no idea what that is. I use Google messages (default texting app) on my computer which lets me send and reply to texts on it that are synced with the regular Google texting app. Is that similar to what you're talking about?

fox · July 23, 2021, 04:11:52 PM

I thought I installed something called Google Chat, but it was, in fact, Google Messages. Sorry. There is a Google Chat, and it does have a messaging function but it looks like it does other things as well. It isn't rating particularly high in the Play Store, whereas Google Messages is. Samsung Messages is their proprietary app that came with my phone. There actually isn't a lot of difference between the two. The biggest difference is in the colour of the text from me. Samsung uses white on green background; Google uses dark blue on light blue background. (Both use the same black on grey from a sender.) The Google opening window is more colourful than the Samsung, and threads with more than one user show both persons' symbols, whereas with two or more on Samsung, you get a generic multiple person symbol. Samsung's text is larger, but that might have been a setting unavailable on Google. Looking at them side by side, it's a standoff.

Jason · July 24, 2021, 03:42:58 AM

Quote from: fox on July 23, 2021, 04:11:52 PM
Samsung's text is larger, but that might have been a setting unavailable on Google. Looking at them side by side, it's a standoff.

Have you tried using the website that lets you type text messages on your computer? You can find it at the Google Messages site. You have to sync it with your phone but it's easy. I'm sure other apps do it but it's handy to have it built-in.

As far as the font size does, Google apps inherit their text size from the general settings area (usually under Settings -> Display or something similar). Android 10 (or maybe 9?) introduced a dark theme which I find very nice. It's less hard on the eyes.

fox · July 24, 2021, 08:27:18 AM

I use an app called Mighty Text that allows me to type and display text messages on Ubuntu and Mac OS, as well as my iPad. The iPad version is experimental, but works fine. The free version does have one limit, though - it only allows 75 messages to be sent per month (not counting those sent from your phone). I only ran into a problem with this limit once in the 9 months or so that I have been using it.

I didn't know about the Google Messages messaging option. I just installed it on Ubuntu, and it has a nice, readable display and is as easy to use as Mighty Text. I assume that it has no message limits. The question is whether there is an app for it in iPadOS. I use the iPad for messaging a fair bit, and Mighty Text on it works as an app, not a website. App bookmarks are not as accessible on an iPad as they are on a computer. However, I can run Google Chat and Mighty Text at the same time on my computer, so that would be a way to get the best of both worlds. Text sent on Google Chat appears in Mighty Text and vice-versa.

Two questions. First, is there any downside to running two messaging apps at the same time in terms of overhead? I would think not since they don't do anything until they're turned on by the app or the website. Second, and this is what drove my original inquiry - should I be any more concerned about using a Google app that accesses my text messages than I should about using someone else's app (Samsung or Mighty Text)?

Jason · July 24, 2021, 07:24:14 PM

Quote from: fox on July 24, 2021, 08:27:18 AM
Two questions. First, is there any downside to running two messaging apps at the same time in terms of overhead? I would think not since they don't do anything until they're turned on by the app or the website. Second, and this is what drove my original inquiry - should I be any more concerned about using a Google app that accesses my text messages than I should about using someone else's app (Samsung or Mighty Text)?

You mentioned Google Chat again. But it sounds like you're referring to Google Messages, right? It's the default text app on Android.

If you mean running Samsung's texting app and Google Messages, I doubt there is much overhead. Not sure why you'd want to run both though or if you can. Usually one has to be default app unless it has its own separate number, like TextNow (and Mighty Text?)

As to which app you should be worried about, I'd check their privacy policy. The question I always ask is this: how do they make their money? Google makes it off of selling advertising so the more information they have you on the better so I'd image that means scanning any of their apps that you use. How does Mighty Text make its money? Do they show ads in your app?

If you want to be assured of secure communication, I'd use something like Signal which sends/receives messages through wireless or data, not your phone.

Jason · July 24, 2021, 07:47:02 PM

Okay, so I found out that Signal will send/receive texts to non-Signal (or Whatsapp) users. The messages just won't be encrypted. But it will show you which are and which aren't. But that's only on Android. The iOS app won't handle non-encrypted communications because they say iOS doesn't let them replace the default SMS/MMS app.

https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007321171-Can-I-send-SMS-MMS-with-Signal-

Update: It will send/receive messages to other Signal (or WhatsApp) users through WiFi/data but plain text SMS messages (i.e. unencrypted) go through the mobile connection. Either way, you use your existing phone number but you can choose to have Signal only receive secure messages and your default SMS app handle the others.

fox · July 25, 2021, 08:01:48 AM

Quote from: Jason on July 24, 2021, 07:24:14 PM
You mentioned Google Chat again. But it sounds like you're referring to Google Messages, right? It's the default text app on Android.

My bad; it was Google Messages. I fixed this.

Quote from: Jason on July 24, 2021, 07:24:14 PM
If you mean running Samsung's texting app and Google Messages, I doubt there is much overhead. Not sure why you'd want to run both though or if you can. Usually one has to be default app unless it has its own separate number, like TextNow (and Mighty Text?)

I would want to run them both because there is no Google Chat for iOS/iPadOS. For the iPad, you can run it in a browser, but an app is more convenient. This is much less so on a computer, where favourite bookmarks are visible at the top and can be enabled by just clicking on the tab. On the iPad, you have to bring up the bookmarks screen first. Each of the two has an advantage over the other, depending on which device you're using it on. On the computer I prefer Google Messages because the number of monthly texts you can send with it is unlimited, and it looks nicer. On the iPad I prefer MightyText because it's an app and thus more convenient to use. And I don't send out a lot of texts on the iPad; I mostly read them. Fortunately, you can use both because messages sent from one of them appear in the other, as well as on my phone.

Quote from: Jason on July 24, 2021, 07:24:14 PM
As to which app you should be worried about, I'd check their privacy policy. The question I always ask is this: how do they make their money? Google makes it off of selling advertising so the more information they have you on the better so I'd image that means scanning any of their apps that you use. How does Mighty Text make its money? Do they show ads in your app?

MightyText makes money by selling subscriptions to a premium version. The only ads they show are for their premium version.

Jason · July 26, 2021, 01:23:51 AM

Thanks for the info on how you use the messaging apps, Fox. I'm going to start trying out Signal if anyone else is interested in giving it a go. It does it through your phone number but encrypted messages require a data plan when you're away from a wifi signal. Plain text messages go through your messaging plan though. If anyone else tries it out, we can send test messages to each other to see how it goes.

fox · July 26, 2021, 07:41:34 AM

You and I have already tried Signal together. I still have Signal on my phone, but I don't use it. As I recall, it wasn't giving me notifications when texts were coming in, so I had to check it manually to know if any was sent to me. Interesting that Signal does provide an app (free) for the iPad, as well as for the Mac.

Jason · July 26, 2021, 03:34:18 PM

I wonder if the notifications issue was due to it receiving Signal texts only over Wifi or data. If you normally have data off when you're out, you wouldn't have seen the messages until you got to a Wifi connection. Regular messages should still go through.

fox · July 26, 2021, 05:52:48 PM

I don't normally turn data off when I'm out, but perhaps I didn't give Signal permission to use data?

Jason · July 26, 2021, 08:02:11 PM

Quote from: fox on July 26, 2021, 05:52:48 PM
I don't normally turn data off when I'm out, but perhaps I didn't give Signal permission to use data?

That's certainly possible. There's also the Data Saver option which might prevent Signal from checking for messages until you open it. I usually have this running as I only have 250 MB/month of full-speed data. But I disable it for those apps I want to sync like Signal and the Weather app. I doubt Signal uses much data unless you or the recipient are sending mms messages.