How To View Your Android Text Messages On PC
Other than snapping selfies and mindlessly scrolling on social media, one thing you mainly do on your phone is texting. It is, after all, among the easiest ways to communicate, especially when you’re not connected to the internet. The downside of chatting via texts, though, is that your messages are usually limited to your device. This can be quite a hassle in instances when you’d have to access your text conversations on a computer. Perhaps you’re working at your desk and don’t want to constantly switch between your computer and phone. Or maybe you need to send a long text and find typing it on a small screen too inconvenient.
For iPhones,Apple’s useful Continuity featureeliminates this dilemma and makes it possible to send and receive text messages on Macs. But what about Android phones to PCs? Fortunately, there are also workarounds to let you view your Android text conversations from your Windows computer. We’ll walk you through four simple methods.
Method 1: Use Google Messages for the web
Most Android phones come with Google Messages out of the box, making it the default choice for many users. In that case, you can access your Android texts on your PC via the web version of Google Messages. Follow these steps to pair your Android phone’s Google Messages to its web version on your PC:
You should now see your computer as a paired device on your phone. Google Messages for the web will also automatically sync the text messages on your phone. From here, you may start using the app as you normally would on your Android — read, send, and receive texts, block contacts, and archive messages. You can’t, however,schedule text messagesor set up a Meet video call with your contact from Google Messages for the web. Additionally, it’s important to note that linking Android Google Messages and Google Messages for the web only works for phones and not tablets. Plus, your Android phone needs to be connected to the internet while you’re using the web app. Otherwise, it will get disconnected and prevent you from loading the messages.
Method 2: Sync your Android and PC with Microsoft Phone Link
Phone Link is a Windows app designed to make syncing your phone and PC a lot easier. Here’s how toconnect your Android phone and PC via Phone Linkand use it to view the text messages on your phone:
You can now go to the Messages tab on Phone Link to view your text conversations. However, Phone Link may only sync your messages from the last month due to itslimited capabilities, so not all your messages might be available.
Method 3: Export your Android texts to PC via Droid Transfer
A third-party app you’re able to use to view your Android messages on PC is Droid Transfer. It’s originally meant for backing up the contents of your phone to your computer, but it also comes with an SMS transfer feature that extracts the texts from the default messaging app on your Android and displays it on your PC. Follow these steps to set up Droid Transfer:
Once all the conversations sync, you’ll see them arranged alphabetically in the Messages tab. Simply click on the texts you want to read, and Droid Transfer will load the entire conversation for you. Aside from reading texts, the app lets youprint text messages from your Androidas well. There are limitations to the printing feature, though, and you may need to buy the full version to access all the features.
Method 4: View your texts on a browser using AirDroid Web
If you’d rather not install a third-party app on your PC, you can use AirDroid Web instead. It’s also an Android management tool like Droid Transfer, but it works on your web instead. Here’s a step-by-step guide on using AirDroid Web to view the text messages on your Android:
Your phone should now appear on the AirDroid Web. To read your text messages, click on the Messages icon and select the conversation you’d like to open.
Method 5: Cast your Android screen to PC with scrcpy
Another way to view your Android text messages from Windows is by mirroring your phone screen to the computer, andscrcpyis one of the best platforms to do so. It’s an open-source tool, so it’s completely free to use, but the setup is a bit complicated. It also works even on non-rooted phones, and you don’t have to install any software on both your computer and mobile device. Here’s what you need to do to set up scrcpy on your Android and PC:
You should see a “restarting in TCP mode port: 5000” message afterward.
in the Terminal. If your IP address is 172.20.30.178, your command should be./adb connect 172.20.30.178:5000. A “connected to [IP address]:5000” will then appear.
Your phone screen will then be cast on your computer. Use your mouse to navigate to the messages app to read the texts you need.
