Knocklog

GoogleMessages

Google's link preview fetcher.

Operator
Google
Type
Link preview fetcher
In the user agent
GoogleMessages
robots.txt token
none
Follows robots.txt
says it does not follow robots.txt
Official documentation
developers.google.com
Checked on
2026-11-11

What is GoogleMessages?

GoogleMessages is Google's link preview fetcher. It loads a page to show its preview when a link is shared in a chat or social network.

The operator's description: Builds link previews for URLs shared in Google Messages chats. (developers.google.com)

How do I block or allow GoogleMessages?

GoogleMessages has no robots.txt token of its own. Google says it does not follow robots.txt. Controlling its access means recognising its verified identity at the edge (CDN or server).

How do I see whether GoogleMessages visits my site?

In your server or CDN access logs, look for GoogleMessages in the user agent. Google Analytics does not show these visits: agents do not run its JavaScript.

Anyone can copy the name in a user agent, so counting log lines is not enough. Knocklog reads your site's traffic on any host, confirms who is who, and shows how often GoogleMessages came, which pages it read and what that brought you.

How do I know it is really GoogleMessages?

Google publishes GoogleMessages's IP addresses at https://developers.google.com/static/crawling/ipranges/user-triggered-fetchers.json, https://developers.google.com/static/crawling/ipranges/user-triggered-fetchers-google.json. A visit that claims to be GoogleMessages from outside those ranges is spoofed.

The IP's reverse DNS, confirmed forward and back, must end in .google.com.

Knocklog runs this check on every visit and separates the genuine agent from impostors.

Does GoogleMessages visit your site?

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