Google Messages for Android Missing the Overflow Meny (Three Dots)

[tb]

I have a Samsung phone with Android 9 installed and Google Messages v.
10.0.20.221.

According to online instructions, I should be able to link
https://messages.google.com/web/authentication
with my phone by opening the Messages app, tapping on the Overflow Menu
(the three dots in the top right corner) and select Messages for Web.

But my Messages app does not have the top-right three dots...

Anyone can help?

[VanguardLH]

Post by tb
I have a Samsung phone with Android 9 installed and Google Messages v.
10.0.20.221.
According to online instructions, I should be able to link
https://messages.google.com/web/authentication
with my phone by opening the Messages app, tapping on the Overflow Menu
(the three dots in the top right corner) and select Messages for Web.
But my Messages app does not have the top-right three dots...
Anyone can help?

On my Android 8 phone, Google's Messages app is nowhere near version
10.0.20.221. I have 5.0.062. Did you install the new Messages app (to
replace the old Messaging app)? It showed up a couple years ago.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.messaging
Says "Current version: Varies by device". A change of 5 for the major
version seems a big leap for a change of 1 in the OS version.

https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/messenger-google-inc/

That lists several version, but not get above 5.x.

I don't keep messages, so I cannot be sure, but might you be viewing a
message thread instead of positioned at the home screen for the app? I
have the "Messages for web" entry in the More (3-dot) menu.

https://support.google.com/messages/answer/7611075?hl=en

That points to the same app at their store as my first link. Does
mention you must have access to an Internet connection via wi-fi or
cellular data service.

[Andy Burns]

Post by VanguardLH
On my Android 8 phone, Google's Messages app is nowhere near version
10.0.20.221. I have 5.0.062.

pixel 3, android 10, google messages 5.0.62 here

I suspect the O/P has some or other samsung messaging v10.0.xx

[tb]

Post by Andy Burns

Post by VanguardLH
On my Android 8 phone, Google's Messages app is nowhere near version
10.0.20.221. I have 5.0.062.

pixel 3, android 10, google messages 5.0.62 here
I suspect the O/P has some or other samsung messaging v10.0.xx

Tapping on the Messages icon, tapping on the 3 dots near the search box
(note: these are not the 3 dots that my app is missing!!), tapping on
Settings, tapping on About Messages, it shows:

Messages
Version 10.0.20.221
The latest version is already installed.

Software Information shows that I have Android 9.
About Phone shows model No. SM-J701M.

[Andy Burns]

Post by tb
Messages
Version 10.0.20.221
The latest version is already installed.

But is is GOOGLE messages, or SAMSUNG messages?

the full version string on mine is
5.0.062 Nixie_RC4_xxhdpi.arm64-v8a.phone

[VanguardLH]

Post by tb
Tapping on the Messages icon, tapping on the 3 dots near the search
box, tapping on Settings, ...

It's in that menu, the main screen's menu, where the "Messages for web"
entry should appear.

Post by tb
note: these are not the 3 dots that my app is missing!!

The only other 3-dot menu icon that I can think of would be when you
view a thread, like how you would delete it (after first getting forced
to view it).

Post by tb
Messages
Version 10.0.20.221
The latest version is already installed.
Software Information shows that I have Android 9.
About Phone shows model No. SM-J701M.

Alas, authors are not required to use unique names for their apps. A
search on "messages" at the Play Store list over a dozen apps where they
might be called Messages. In addition, Samsung's chat app bundled in
their customized version of the Android OS is also called Messages, as
mentioned at:

https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00078947/

When I hunted around for Samsung's Messages app, I found:

https://www.sammobile.com/apk/samsung-messages/

and *that* app is up in the 10.0.x.x version range. You're in the wrong
Messages app.

For Google's Messages app, the Messages app's icon, is a blue icon
showing a 3-line doc icon inside that has a bubble tip at the upper-left
corner? It looks like:

Loading Image...

I don't have a Samsung smartphone (well, I've got an old one sitting
unused in a drawer that's unpowered that I recharge at about 6-month
intervals). From what I found online, Samsung's Messages app icon can
look like a white envelope with a 2-lined yellow sheet of paper stuffed
into the envelope, or a light-blue icon with a white bubble overlay with
the tip at the lower-left corner. I found an online image for the
latter icon at:

Loading Image...

Go to the app's Store page at:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.messaging

Make sure you are logged into the site using the *same* Google account
that you created on your smartphone. Status shown on that web page
should be "Installed".

How many Android smartphones do you have? It is possible an app is
installed on one of them, but not on all of them, so the "Installed"
status only tells you that the app is installed on one device, at a
minimum. Click the gear icon at the top-right of that app's web page.
Is more than one device listed in that account?

Click the Installed button. If the app has been installed on all your
registered devices, the "Choose a device" list will say "No eligible
devices for app install". Click on that entry, and a drop-down listbox
will show on which devices the app has been installed.

If Google's Messages app is installed, go into the phone's app drawer.
Sort alphabetically. Scroll to the app's starting with "M", and see how
many "Messages" apps are installed.

[123456789]

Post by Andy Burns

Post by VanguardLH
On my Android 8 phone, Google's Messages app is nowhere
near version 10.0.20.221. I have 5.0.062.

pixel 3, android 10, google messages 5.0.62 here
I suspect the O/P has some or other samsung messaging
v10.0.xx

My Samsung S10+ phone (Android 9) has the Messages app
version 10.1.40.67. The app does not identify its origin or
author. However Judging from the icon design it appears to
be the same app as found in the Samsung store with author
Edward Jonas.

My Messages app's 3 dots provides only the options: Delete,
Mark all as read, Starred Messages, and Settings.

[Andy Burns]

Post by 123456789
My Messages app's 3 dots provides only the options: Delete,
Mark all as read, Starred Messages, and Settings.

The google app's overflow menu has
archived
mark all as read
blocked contacts
messages for web
settings
help & feedback

[tb]

Post by 123456789

Post by Andy Burns

Post by VanguardLH
On my Android 8 phone, Google's Messages app is nowhere
near version 10.0.20.221. I have 5.0.062.

pixel 3, android 10, google messages 5.0.62 here
I suspect the O/P has some or other samsung messaging v10.0.xx

My Samsung S10+ phone (Android 9) has the Messages app
version 10.1.40.67. The app does not identify its origin or
author. However Judging from the icon design it appears to
be the same app as found in the Samsung store with author
Edward Jonas.
My Messages app's 3 dots provides only the options: Delete,
Mark all as read, Starred Messages, and Settings.

Mine has:
* Starred messages
* Settings
* Contact us

If I go to the Google's Play Store and do a search for "messages app",
I am presented with a couple of choices v. 4.xx.xx, none of them v.
5.xx.xx.

[123456789]

Delete, Mark all as read, Starred Messages, and
Settings.

Mine has: * Starred messages * Settings * Contact us

Your original post said: "But my Messages app does not have
the top-right three dots..."

Apparently you really meant your overflow menu just
doesn't have the needed 'Messages for Web' command??

[tb]

Post by 123456789

My Messages app's 3 dots provides only the options: Delete, Mark
all as read, Starred Messages, and Settings.

Mine has: * Starred messages * Settings * Contact us

Your original post said: "But my Messages app does not have
the top-right three dots..."
Apparently you really meant your overflow menu just
doesn't have the needed 'Messages for Web' command??

Well, yes and no... Looking at another cell phone, the Messages app
has the following entries in the top-right overflow menu (three dots):
* Archived
* Blocked contacts
* Messages for web <- this is the one I care about!
* Enable dark mode
* Settings
* Help & feedback

On my Samsung phone, the Messages app has the following entries located
in the middle-right overflow menu:
* Starred messages
* Settings
* Contact us

So, yes, the "Messages for web" is missing in my Samsung, but the
placement of the overflow menu is not top-right, it is middle-right.
So I don't know if the two overflow menus are the same thing or what.

[Andy Burns]

Post by tb
the "Messages for web" is missing in my Samsung

Because it only exists in "Google Messages" not in "Samsung Messages"

will the play store let you install this?

<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.messaging>

[tb]

Post by Andy Burns

Post by tb
the "Messages for web" is missing in my Samsung

Because it only exists in "Google Messages" not in "Samsung Messages"
will the play store let you install this?

<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.messaging>

Ahhhh, YES!! Thanks for the help. I had no idea that there were
different variations of Messenger... The one you suggested does have
the "Messages for web" entry.

[Andy Burns]

Post by tb
Thanks for the help.

you're welcome

Post by tb
I had no idea that there were
different variations of Messenger...

Except they aren't variations, they're unrelated apps from different
authors, with the same name.

[Frank Slootweg]

Post by 123456789

Post by Andy Burns

Post by VanguardLH
On my Android 8 phone, Google's Messages app is nowhere
near version 10.0.20.221. I have 5.0.062.

pixel 3, android 10, google messages 5.0.62 here
I suspect the O/P has some or other samsung messaging
v10.0.xx

My Samsung S10+ phone (Android 9) has the Messages app
version 10.1.40.67. The app does not identify its origin or
author. However Judging from the icon design it appears to
be the same app as found in the Samsung store with author
Edward Jonas.
My Messages app's 3 dots provides only the options: Delete,
Mark all as read, Starred Messages, and Settings.

AFAIK, every Android app has an unique 'id', for example 'Firefox'
has id 'org.mozilla.firefox'.

The id is used for the app's entry in Google Play, *if* the app has
such an entry, which is not the case for (some) built-in apps.

So Firefox's Google Play entry is:

<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mozilla.firefox>

(The id is also used for the app's data/obb folders in \Android\data
or/and \Android\obb (if the app uses such folders).)

So how do we get the id for - in this case - the 'Messages' app?

There are probably several/many ways, but one way I know is:

'Apk Extractor'
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.marga.ApkDownloader>

When you run *this* 'Apk Extractor' app - there are many, many such
apps, so make sure you use *this* one, with *this* 'id' - it will show
the id of the installed apps.

For example in my case, the messaging app is called 'Messaging' (not
'Messages') and 'Apk Extractor' lists it as:

"com.android.mms
Messaging
Version: 5.1.1-C622B020"

As we've seen in this and other threads, the name of an app is not
neccessarily unique and the version of an app is not unique.

But (AFAIK) the *combination* of id, name and version, uniquely
identifies an app.

N.B. Because my 'Messaging' app is a built-in app, it does not have a
Google Play entry, so

<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.android.mms>

is not found.

So (AFAIK), an app *does* have an unique id, *may* have a Google Play
entry with that id and *may* have \Android\data or/and \Android\obb
folders with that id.

[Andy Burns]

Post by Frank Slootweg
So how do we get the id for - in this case - the 'Messages' app?

I use an app called "Package Names"

<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.csdroid.pkg>

[Frank Slootweg]

Post by Andy Burns

Post by Frank Slootweg
So how do we get the id for - in this case - the 'Messages' app?

I use an app called "Package Names"
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.csdroid.pkg>

Thanks for that! Nice to know an alternative.

Hopefully the 'Offers in-app purchases' part isn't too bothersome. (It
doesn't say 'Contains ads', so that's good.)