From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.apps

PSA:
How to sms/mms cross platform Google Messages Android:{Windows,macOS,Linux,Tablet}

Note: All the tools below are cross platform, Apple, Microsoft & Linux.

In a recent c.m.a thread, it was asked how to sms/mms using a desktop PC.
Newsgroups: comp.mobile.android
Subject: Re: Tool for sending text message to or from computer
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2026 16:07:16 -0300
Message-ID: <11a3gt4$2c2$[email protected]>

Frank Slootweg wrote:

The web interface just allows you to use a big screen, normal keyboard
and 'mouse', instead of a small phone touch screen.

I just switched my wife to Google Messages today, because PulseSMS updated
to the latest version (which has ads) and the downgrade installed fine
adb install -d -r -i not.com.android.vending PulseSMS5.4.6.2816.apk
Normally that works because it does the following:
-d means allow downgrades
-r means replace w/o wiping out the data
-i to anything but com.android.vending (i.e., the google play store)

Where adb allows me to check this information to make sure it stuck.
adb shell dumpsys package xyz.klinker.messenger | findstr installerPackageName
=> installerPackageName=not.com.android.vending

But, apparently due to mismatches in versions, the downgrade kept crashing.
So I checked what API level was needed, and that seemed to be fine.
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.sdk
=> 33
adb shell dumpsys package xyz.klinker.messenger | findstr "versionName versionCode"
=> versionCode=2816 minSdk=21 targetSdk=30
=> versionName=5.4.6.2816

And then I had to check which version the APK was set to NOT run on.
aapt dump badging pulsesms_5.4.11.2831.apk | findstr /R "sdkVersion versionName versionCode"
=> package: name='xyz.klinker.messenger' versionCode='2831'
=> versionName='5.4.11.2831'
=> compileSdkVersion='30'
=> compileSdkVersionCodename='11'
=> sdkVersion:'21'

It shouldn't have crashed, but it's probably a database schema mismatch.
Even though the database "appears" empty, adb shows me 26K messages.
adb shell content query --uri content://sms/
Which is kind of neat that you can read all the messages so easily.

Anyway, This gave me a summary that there were 26695 messages on her
phone, which I didn't want to take the risk of wiping out by mistake.
adb shell content query --uri content://sms/ --projection _id
=> ... over twenty six thousand rows...
=> Row: 26693 _id=33
=> Row: 26694 _id=32
=> Row: 26695 _id=31

So even though her PulseSMS downgrade can't read the database, it's there.

Rather than fight an old version of software, I simply installed the Google messages app on her phone 'cuz she logs into Google like most people do.

Google Messages seems to work fine, as I could see all 26K messages:
And it has RCS which will work when MMS'ing the grandchildren in iOS.

I'm gonna add a link to <https://messages.google.com/web>, as Frank
suggested, on both her non-SIM Android tablet & on her Windows 11 laptop.

Instructions (from looking it up):
1. Open <https://messages.google.com/web> in any web browser
2. Apparently we will see a QR code on the screen.
3. Then open the Google Messages app on the Android phone.
4. Tap the profile icon in the top right corner & select Device pairing.
5. Tap the QR code scanner button and point the phone's camera
at the QR code on the computer screen to scan that QR code.
6. Once scanned, supposedly that makes the messages sync
Note: The phone needs to remain connected to the internet (via Wi-Fi
or mobile data) for the web version to send & receive messages.

Actually, I had her phone in front of me when I "tried" those instructions. What happened was she was already logged into both so it showed 3
pictographic images on the web page & one of them on the Android.
a. It asked: Select the image on the phone that is on the web
b. And that did, apparently, a device-pairing verification
c. I didn't test it further but it seems to be very easy to do

If it were me, I just use scrcpy since then the entire phone (not just the SMS/MMS messenger) is using the PC keyboard & mouse & speakers & clipbrd.
<https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy>
<https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy/blob/master/doc/windows.md>
<https://i.postimg.cc/5NrK7jtg/scrcpy16.jpg>

That also works on all desktop platforms, which means the entire phone
is mirrored two feet tall onto your monitor over Wi-Fi or over USB.

Either way, scrcpy or just Google Messages on the web is a nice way of
using the desktop to send/receive mms/sms cross platform Android:Desktop.

Obviously if you know of better or easier ways to do it, let all know.
--
On Usenet, kind helpful people learn from others in every single article.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.apps

On Oct 7, 2026 at 11:19:48 AM EDT, "DipshIT" <[email protected]> wrote:

FSA:
How to sms/mms cross platform Google Messages Android:{Windows,Linux,Tablet}

Note: All the tools below are cross platform, Microsoft & Linux.

Oh look! The Ignorant Troll strikes again. Did you really think Macs/iPhones/iPads can't exchange messages with Android?

You REALLY love jumping thru absurd hoops. None of this horseshit is needed on a Mac. If you HAD a Mac - or ANY Apple device - you would know that the included Messages app already does "sms/mms cross platform Google Messages Android".

I do it every day with friends who use Android. As does Messages on iOS and iPadOS and WatchOS. In fact, Messages has always done sms/mms with text messages to/from Android. And everything else non-Apple.

As always, your "PSA" is once again "FSA". Full of Shit Announcement.

Obviously if you know of better or easier ways to do it, let all know.

Obviously you don't WANT to know the better AND easier way. Because it involves NO hoop jumping and NO extra software. Apple Messages does all of this automatically. It is only needed on Windows and Linux because neither
has a built-in, standard messaging app.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.apps

On 2026-10-07 21:17:09 +0000, Nick Charles said:

On Oct 7, 2026 at 11:19:48 AM EDT, "DipshIT" <[email protected]>
wrote:

FSA:
How to sms/mms cross platform Google Messages Android:{Windows,Linux,Tablet} >>
Note: All the tools below are cross platform, Microsoft & Linux.

Oh look! The Ignorant Troll strikes again. Did you really think Macs/iPhones/iPads can't exchange messages with Android?

You REALLY love jumping thru absurd hoops. None of this horseshit is needed on
a Mac. If you HAD a Mac - or ANY Apple device - you would know that the included Messages app already does "sms/mms cross platform Google Messages Android".

I do it every day with friends who use Android. As does Messages on iOS and iPadOS and WatchOS. In fact, Messages has always done sms/mms with text messages to/from Android. And everything else non-Apple.

Yep, but with a differnt bubble colour with Android messages which
makes a tiny percentage of morons feel inferior.

As always, your "PSA" is once again "FSA". Full of Shit Announcement.

Obviously if you know of better or easier ways to do it, let all know.

Obviously you don't WANT to know the better AND easier way. Because it involves NO hoop jumping and NO extra software. Apple Messages does all of this automatically. It is only needed on Windows and Linux because neither has a built-in, standard messaging app.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.apps

Your Name wrote:

I do it every day with friends who use Android. As does Messages on iOS and >> iPadOS and WatchOS. In fact, Messages has always done sms/mms with text
messages to/from Android. And everything else non-Apple.

Yep, but with a differnt bubble colour with Android messages which
makes a tiny percentage of morons feel inferior.

Hi Your Name,

The whole point is to help other people do what we have always done.
a. It's trivial to message on any platform
b. Where Google Messages works on all platforms' web browsers
c. And where RCS handles the interface between Android/iOS

A lot of people use WhatsApp to exchange media between iOS/Android.
But now, with RCS, WhatsApp isn't needed as much for that purpose alone.

Since iMessage is an IP-based messaging service, it is fundamentally
different from traditional SMS/MMS in that it has fewer size limitations.

As you know, traditional MMS has very restrictive, carrier-era limitations
on multimedia where photos and videos may be resized and heavily
recompressed by the phone or carrier to fit those limitations.

Google Messages comes with RCS, which works similarly to iMessage in this respect. When Google Messages is using RCS, messages and attachments are transmitted over an IP/data connection rather than as SMS/MMS, allowing higher-quality photos and videos between Apple and Android user bases.
--
On Usenet, kind hearted people try to help each other all day every day.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.apps

Nick Charles wrote:

Obviously if you know of better or easier ways to do it, let all know.

Obviously you don't WANT to know the better AND easier way. Because it involves NO hoop jumping and NO extra software. Apple Messages does all of this automatically. It is only needed on Windows and Linux because neither has a built-in, standard messaging app.

Hi Nick,

You can be forgiven for knowing nothing about RCS, but that doesn't change
the main point of the purposefully helpful PSA to help others learn it.

The point of the helpful PSA is that iPhones using RCS can communicate with Android Google Messages when RCS is available, rather than being limited to SMS/MMS and that Google Messages can be accessed from a desktop browser,
while scrcpy can mirror/control the entire Android phone from the desktop.

That desktop browser can be on macOS, or it could be on an iPad or iPhone.
--
Usenet is a wonderful place to discuss topics among thousands of experts.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.apps

Maria Sophia wrote:

How to sms/mms cross platform Google Messages Android:{Windows,macOS,Linux,Tablet}
Note: All the tools below are cross platform, Apple, Microsoft & Linux.

To add value to this PSA so that anyone can operate their iOS device on a
PC using the PC keyboard, the mouse, the clipboard, and the speakers,

Vysor works fine to mirror my many iOS devices, but with lower resolution.
<https://i.postimg.cc/k5gv0yw8/vysor34.jpg> Apple iOS & Android mirroring

The entire iOS device is operated at two feet tall on your huge PC monitor!
--
On Usenet, we can pool our knowledge and skills so everyone learns more.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.apps

Maria Sophia <[email protected]> wrote:

Your Name wrote:

I do it every day with friends who use Android. As does Messages on iOS and >>> iPadOS and WatchOS. In fact, Messages has always done sms/mms with text >>> messages to/from Android. And everything else non-Apple.

Yep, but with a differnt bubble colour with Android messages which
makes a tiny percentage of morons feel inferior.

Hi Your Name,

The whole point is to help other people do what we have always done.
a. It's trivial to message on any platform
b. Where Google Messages works on all platforms' web browsers
c. And where RCS handles the interface between Android/iOS

A lot of people use WhatsApp to exchange media between iOS/Android.
But now, with RCS, WhatsApp isn't needed as much for that purpose alone.

RCS requires support by your provider. Far from as ubiquitous as WhatsApp, especially in Europe. Probably won't ever be. It's not enabled for me, for example.

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