I’ve tried Google’s Messages for Web, Microsoft’s Phone Link, and KDE’s Connect. They all seem to have the same problem: they lose connection constantly and have to be unpaired and re-paired. Is this a problem inherent to the way that Android works? Has anyone managed to solve it, or is there a setting to fix it?

Thanks!

  • saegiru@lemmy.worldEnglish
    10·
    1 year ago

    I haven’t had the issues with Google messages you cite, it’s always worked reliably. I’ve used Pushbullet and MightySMS MightyText in the past, with MightySMS MightyText being the best I had used before Messages.

    • Boinketh@lemm.eeOPEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      So odd that it seems like other people don’t have this issue. Very frustrating.

  • MasterBuilder@lemmy.oneEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    Well, I use KDE connect and it does not lose pairing. It might be your environment. I had to open certain ports to get pairing at all, so maybe there’s something going on with your firewall?

  • paper_clip@kbin.social
    4·
    1 year ago

    One other thought is to use Google Voice.

    At least in that case, everything runs through a Google server, rather than through some possibly janky connection between your desktop and phone.

    The drawback is that, if you have an existing phone number, you’d have to port it over to Google Voice (or maybe Google Fi can port that number to an actual cell phone; not sure if it can).

    • quicksand@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      You can forward your Google voice number to your cell number, but I’m not sure how that applies for texts. I haven’t used Google voice in a long time. In fact, they reclaimed the number recently lol

      • wheeldawg@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        It doesn’t apply to texts. That’s fine with me though, I’ve only sent like 3 actual texts from a smartphone. I started using GrandCentral before it became Google Voice, and at that time I still had a dumbphone.

        The only complaints I have are that for one, since it did register as a voip, for some arcane reason that I don’t understand, done systems don’t like that and will force you to enter a number with a traditional service. No idea why it matters to them at all.

        The other complaint is that for another reason that is literally unexplainable, they never implemented RCS with it, so it feels like texting back in the 00s.

        Google made the RCS standard, yet in the app they designed from the ground up they didn’t implement it. That’s a wtf for me. Maybe because it’s still usable by dumbphones? If be more than ok with dropping support for those if it means the majority of the world gets a better experience.

  • jamielife@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    Definitely not an Android thing. I, and various friends and family, have been using Google Messages for Web for years (as well as MS Phone Link), across a wide range of devices and connections and have never had those issues. Sometimes I stay connected for days at a time on Google. I suspect this is going to keep happening regardless of what service you use until you figure out what the underlying issue is with your phone/service/internet etc. I would think that if this is happening with a wired, MS Phone Link connection, the culprit is most likely your service provider.

    • Boinketh@lemm.eeOPEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      It’s not an internet issue because I only have trouble in this one specific area and I’ve used multiple SMS link providers and multiple different phones. I don’t get it.

  • N-E-N@lemmy.caEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    The Phone Link app has improved a lot lately, haven’t had any connectivity issues lately

    • Boinketh@lemm.eeOPEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Sounds like it gives you a new number instead of linking to your phone. Is that right?

      • jet@hackertalks.comEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        With Google voice you can set up a completely new number. Or you can port your old number into Google voice.

        It will show up as a VoIP number if anybody does a look up on it. If that’s a problem you can use Google Fi and then use the web messenger to send and receive texts from your Google phi number. Even if the phone is off

  • Kethal@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    I am no fan of Google Messages for Web, but I have no problem with it constantly losing connection and needing to be repaired. This sounds like you have a different issue.

    • metaphortune@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Second this. My only complaint is that I couldn’t get it to work on /e/ OS. But if you’re using regular android you’ll be alright. (couldn’t get it to work because it couldn’t verify my subscription, fwiw)

  • BoofStroke@lemm.eeEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    Pushbullet is pretty solid, but is subscription based. There is also Join, which I haven’t tried yet.

    • jws_shadotak@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      I had a really flaky experience with Join. It could never do the job correctly - SMS messages would not send or would send several times, message history wouldn’t load, and it would sometimes not connect.

      • applejacks@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        Join has worked perfectly for me.

        I tried it and pushbullet, but the latter was very unreliable.

  • mrvictory1@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    How did you use KDE Connect? I used GSConnect on Pop OS and that was unreliable while regular KDE Connect has a solid connection on Linux with Plasma. No idea about Windows.

    • Boinketh@lemm.eeOPEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      I tried to use it again and couldn’t figure it out, so I’m not sure what I did the first time. I might have misremembered, as I last used it years ago.