Leaving your android phone for 5 minutes in the hands of someone you don’t trust is enough for the person to take over most of your online accounts.
As cybercrimes increase, the need to protect our accounts using two-factor authentications or OTP became very crucial. And that also gave more power to our mobile phones and mostly to our phone text messaging app like never before.
In most cases, having access to the phone number connected to an account is equivalent to having access to the account.
Therefore, whenever you give your phone to someone for some minutes, you have relinquished some of your online security to the person for that some minutes.
Most android phones today come with a default app called Messages. The app is for text messaging on our android phones.
The Messages app though a good app, can also be a deadly app in the hands of our enemies. The app has a Web version that can help people to sync other people’s messages to their own phone or computer.
This feature makes it possible for people to see or monitor your text messages from their own phone or computer as they drop.
Owing to the security power given to our phones, you can testify how sensitive this feature can be to your online security.
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How To Activate The Web Version Of The Android Phone Messages App
It will surprise you to know that all you need to activate your messages for the web is just a Qr code scan. The ease of activation is among the reason why this app is dangerous. As it won’t take an enemy much time to sync your messages to their own phone or computer once in their possession.
To access your friend’s text messages on your own phone using the messages app, all you have to do is to first open your phone or system browser.
Then type the website’s address https://messages.google.com/web on the browser address bar and press enter key on the keyboard.
A Web page will load containing a Qr code as shown in the image below. Leave it open that way and then open the Messages app on your friend’s phone. Remember to toggle the Remember this computer option at the bottom of the Qrcode on in your browser as it will help make your connection persistent.
On the messages app of your friend’s phone, select the menu icon by the top right (that is the three vertical dots) and a menu list will appear. Select the Messages for Web option from the list and you will see a page as shown in the image below.
Then select the Qr code scanner option and use it to scan the Qr code on your computer or phone browser. Now all the messages on your friend’s phone will now show up on your own device as shown below.
Once this process is completed successfully, you will start receiving your friend’s messages on your browser as they drop. So far their phone is on and is Internet-enabled.
This also gives you the power to see your friend’s OTP or two-factor authentication code as they drop, which you know the implication.
How to Check if Someone is Monitoring Your Messages On Your Android Using the Messages App
To check if your messages app is under a monitor. Go to the Messages app menu by the top right as you did above and select the “Messages for web” option again. A list of signed-in computers where your SMS is being monitored will be listed under the Qr code scan as shown below.
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You can log the person out of monitoring you by clicking Sign out of all computers button.
Remember, access to your phone text messages is simply an access to most of your online accounts. Be vigilant.
