Once multi-device setup is completed, the "Messages" PWA is installed, but further setup is required before the app can be used. Specifically, the Chromebook needs to be paired with the user's phone via a QR code displayed in the PWA.
However, this pairing can be broken in two ways:
(1) The PWA is being migrated from messages.android.com to messages.google.com (see issue 917855). Once this occurs, the pairing state will be lost. (Note: the Messages team is exploring mechanisms by which this can be bypassed, but it's unclear if this task can be completed due to privacy/security implications.)
(2) The pairing expires after 30 days if it has not been used, so an infrequent Chromebook user can experience this issue.
When this situation occurs, we should alert the user that the devices need to be re-paired. Otherwise, the user could be confused about why message syncing and Chromebook-side notifications have ceased to work correctly.
Proposed notification title: Pair your phone with Messages
Proposed notification message: Click here to send and receive messages from your Chromebook.
Assigning to jonann@ for string recommendations.
Comment 1 by jon...@chromium.org
, Jan 3