SMS OTP from Android to a Mac: how to stop reaching for your phone

When a bank or work login on your Mac texts a one-time code (an OTP) to your Android phone, you have two ways to get it across without picking the phone up. Google Messages for web is free and shows the text in a browser tab, where you copy the code yourself. The Relay shows the text on the Mac and copies the code to the Mac's clipboard, so you only paste. With an iPhone, a Mac does this by itself. With Android it does not, and that small gap is one you meet several times a day.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 1 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

What does this look like on an ordinary day?

Say you sit down at the Mac in the morning and sign in to work. A code goes to the phone, which is still on the kitchen counter. At lunch you pay a bill, and the bank texts a code while the phone is charging in the next room. In the afternoon a shop wants a code to confirm your card.

Each time the routine is the same. Find the phone, unlock it, read six digits, walk back, type them, and hope you did not swap two. It is a small thing, repeated.

Apple closed this gap for iPhone owners. Its Safari guide, Autofill security codes from your iPhone in Safari on Mac, says that once Text Message Forwarding is on, "Safari provides the information on your Mac". An Android phone cannot use Text Message Forwarding. The setup steps for the alternatives are in SMS verification codes from Android on a Mac.

Moment 1: the bank login, with the phone in another room

Free fix. Google Messages for web. Pair it once, keep the tab pinned, and the text appears on the Mac. Google says the phone needs a Wi-Fi or data connection, so it works wherever the phone is. You select the code, copy it, and switch back.

With The Relay. An SMS that arrives on the phone shows up on the Mac, and the login code in it is copied to the Mac's clipboard. You stay on the bank's page and press Command-V. The phone has to be on the same local network as the Mac, or within Bluetooth range.

Moment 2: the work sign-in, every single morning

If the same account asks for a code every day, the better fix is to stop receiving texts for it.

Free fix. Where the account allows it, switch to an authenticator app or a passkey. Google says Google Authenticator "can generate one-time verification codes for sites and apps" and that you can "still generate codes without an internet connection or mobile service". Its passkey page says passkeys "can't be shared, copied, written down, or accidentally given to someone else".

With The Relay. An authenticator code is not a text, so the code feature does not apply to it. What does help is the clipboard, which syncs both ways: copy the code in the authenticator app on the phone, paste it on the Mac. See clipboard sync between Android and a Mac.

Moment 3: the checkout with a countdown

What to know about the free fix. Google's help page says that if you do not use Messages for web for a few weeks, "you'll be unpaired automatically for security reasons". Open the tab before you reach the payment step, not after.

With The Relay. The code arrives on the Mac's clipboard when the text arrives on the phone. There is no tab to keep alive.

Moment 4: the code is on the phone, but it is not a text

Some codes come through a chat app, by email, or as a prompt in the bank's own app. Those are not SMS, and no SMS tool will pick them up.

Free fix. Open the same service on the Mac: the web or desktop version of the chat app, or your mail in a browser. An "approve this sign-in" prompt in an app still means picking up the phone.

With The Relay. The phone's notifications appear as Mac notifications, so you will see that something arrived. Do not count on reading a code from a notification, for the reason below.

Moment 5: the notification app that shows a blank

If a notification mirroring app shows login codes as a blank or a placeholder, that is Android, not a fault in the app. Google's Android 15 behaviour changes describe new protections against one-time passcode fraud, including "redacting OTPs from notifications accessible to untrusted apps". KDE Connect's wiki shows the result: on Android 15 or later it displays "Sensitive notification content hidden" in place of the real text.

So on a recent Pixel or Samsung Galaxy, mirrored notifications are the wrong tool for codes. Test whichever route you choose with a real code from a low-stakes account.

Which fix fits how often it happens?

The last row matters. Google's page says unpairing keeps other people from seeing "sensitive info, like two factor verification codes". The same care applies to any tool that puts codes on a Mac.

What will The Relay not do for you?

• It does not send texts from the Mac. It shows incoming texts and codes. To reply to people, use Google Messages for web.
• It does not reach a phone that is somewhere else. Both devices must be on the same local network or in Bluetooth range. It does not work across the internet.
• It does not fill the code into the form. It copies the code to the Mac's clipboard. You paste it.
• It does not handle authenticator apps, app prompts, or emailed codes as codes. It handles texted ones.
• It is not free. It costs $19.99, paid once, with no subscription. There is a refund window; see the terms.

Your texts travel directly between your phone and your Mac over your local network. They are not uploaded to The Relay's servers. The privacy policy has the detail. The app needs Android 8.0 or later and macOS 13 Ventura or later, and comes from the download page.

Questions people ask

How do I get an SMS OTP from my Android phone onto my Mac?

Use Google Messages for web, which shows your texts in a browser on the Mac for free, or The Relay, which shows the text on the Mac and copies the code to the Mac's clipboard.

Can Safari autofill a code that was texted to an Android phone?

No. Apple's code autofill depends on Text Message Forwarding from an iPhone. With an Android phone the code has to reach the Mac another way, and then you paste it.

Is it a risk to have login codes show up on my computer?

It puts the code on a second screen, so that screen needs the same care as the phone: a password, a lock when you walk away, and no shared user account. No tool can promise an outcome for your accounts.