Google Messages on the Pixel Tablet is unacceptable

On the Pixel Tablet, the Google Messages app is installed by default. It’s the same APK as on phones, but launching takes you to the PWA version found on messages.google.com/web with a QR code to scan using your phone. The company told us that this is the intended experience on the Pixel Tablet (and other Wi-Fi tablets).

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Once set up, there’s a two-column layout with the conversation list on the left and an open thread on the right. You can send RCS chats, while expressive features include dedicated pickers for emojis, stickers, and GIFs. Given the size, the compose UI is better and less crowded than on phones.

This experience may be fine on the web, but it’s no longer acceptable on Android tablets. Fun fact: if the overflow menu is open, you cannot scroll through message history until that menu is first closed (with a separate tap). That’s just one of several annoyances – besides general performance and the occasional animation stutter (try closing a thread) – that scream non-native.

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The incoming message alerts you get on the tablet lack any direct or smart in-notification reply options. Inside the app, there’s no Magic Compose, and it’s unclear whether that will even be possible once the AI feature exits beta. You also can’t react with the full range of emoji, direct reply, or schedule send.

Meanwhile, on the paired phone, a “Device pairing” notification appears on and off, seemingly at random.

In an ideal world, Google would smooth over this QR code pairing process. The WhatsApp experience is quite good in that regard, with its native, large screen-optimized app on Android tablets featuring a navigation rail, and quite snappy. It’s truly simple to use and on par with iMessage on the iPad.

Honestly, I’d just settle for Google replacing the PWA experience with a native app – like Messages on Wear OS – even if I have to deal with QR codes. At I/O 2022, Google showed off just that, and you can force this UI on phones today by boosting the DPI.

Using the web here is just so jarring, especially when compared to other third-party messaging options that took the time. Reusing the PWA is an okay stopgap and efficient reuse, but can’t be the permanent or intended solution. I think going native is the bare minimum, with Google needing to address this as it continues to push Messages and RCS, as well as building for the Pixel Tablet and large Android screens. As is, this app is nothing more than a homescreen shortcut to the web.

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