Google Messages Adds QR Code Verification to Secure Chats

Google is launching a new QR code-based verification feature in Google Messages (currently in beta), making it easier to confirm you’re truly chatting with the right person—and not someone impersonating them.

Previously, verifying a contact’s identity required comparing long, awkward 80-digit codes. That changes now. A new “Security & privacy” panel makes verification as simple as scanning a QR code—your contact scans yours, you scan theirs—and voilà, you’re verified.

Once verified, you can even check the status of your shared keys in the Connected apps section of the Google Contacts app—though that integration isn’t live yet.

For those who prefer the old-school method, the option to “Compare verification codes” (the 80-digit fallback) still remains.