Google Messages adds QR code verification for encrypted chats

Google Messages is rolling out a QR code–based key verification feature designed to confirm you are communicating with the intended contact in encrypted RCS conversations. The change replaces the long-standing practice of sharing an 80-digit verification code with a quick scan-based process. In a conversation, you open the Details page by tapping the contact’s name, then select Verify encryption. A new Security privacy sheet guides you through the verification, and you can either display your QR code or scan your contact’s code. Once completed, you can monitor verification status in the Connected apps section of the Google Contacts app. While the Messages sheet can initiate the scan using a built-in option, the full integration with Google Contacts is not yet live. If issues arise with the QR method, users can still fall back to the traditional 80-digit code by choosing Compare verification codes.

The feature is currently spreading through Google Messages in beta and has not yet reached the stable release. Google has outlined a broad rollout plan that targets devices running Android 9 or newer, with the aim of a wider 2025 deployment. The company emphasises that this QR-based...