It might seem obvious that texting a strange phone number could be dangerous, but what about numbers you know and trust? You likely don’t worry about sending a message to a friend or family member you chat with all the time. But even when you’re using the same number, how can you really be sure you’re talking to who you think you’re talking to?
On the one hand, there’s the issue of the medium itself. Texting is, of course, text-based, which means you never really know if your contact is actually the one typing out each message. But that’s not the threat Google is currently focused on. The company is more concerned with actors who may impersonate a contact altogether, tricking you into thinking you’re texting one device, when in reality you’re sharing information with a malicious stranger.
Google currently has a feature for Google Messages to help prevent this: “Verify encryption.” This option pulls up an 80-digit code that you can share with another contact to verify your device. That way, if a malicious user somehow breaks into your conversation and attempts to impersonate your contact, Google Messages will be able to confirm their device is not verified, and, as such, alert you to the potential danger.
Google Messages is testing QR code verification
80-digit codes, while secure, are anything but convenient. That’s why it’s interesting to see Google testing a new method for contact verification. Per 9to5Google, Google Messages will soon support QR code verification. Rather than rely on a 80-digit code, contacts can simply scan QR codes to verify—much more convenient than an seemingly endless string of characters.
Here’s how it works: When the feature hits your Google Messages app, you can access it from any of your message threads. Tap the contact’s name at the top of the window, then tap “Verify encryption” option in the “End-to-end encryption” box. In addition to the existing “Compare verification codes” button, which presents your device’s 80-digit code, a pop-up appears, offering you the option to present a QR code to your contact. The feature advises you to scan the code that appears on your contact’s app as well. Once you both scan each others’ QR codes, Google Messages can then verify each device.
9to5Google is seeing the QR code option on the latest Google Messages beta, though it isn’t yet operational. If you want to be able to test it out as soon as it’s active, you’ll want to enroll in the Google Messages beta yourself. To do so, head to Google Messages’ Play Store page, log into your Google Account, and choose “Become a tester.”
Apple has a similar feature for iMessage, called Contact Key Verification. This feature works automatically if you and your contact have it enabled, but, like Google Message’s feature, you can also manually verify contacts as well. Apple lets you do so via an on-device code, or a public verification code you send to your contact.
