[invisit](https://invisit.dev) · [Docs](https://invisit.dev/docs) · [llms.txt](https://invisit.dev/llms.txt) · [llms-full.txt](https://invisit.dev/llms-full.txt)

# GoogleMessages

> GoogleMessages is a link preview fetcher run by Google. It generates link previews for URLs sent in Google Messages chats.

- Operator: Google
- Kind: Link preview fetcher
- robots.txt token: none documented
- Follows robots.txt: no
- Source: https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/crawlers-fetchers/google-user-triggered-fetchers (checked 2026-11-05)
- Page: https://invisit.dev/bots/googlemessages

## What is GoogleMessages?

It generates link previews for URLs sent in Google Messages chats.

Fetches a page when someone shares its link, to draw the preview card. Blocking it breaks your previews in that app.

Google says user-triggered fetchers generally ignore robots.txt because a user asked for the fetch.

- [Google’s documentation](https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/crawlers-fetchers/google-user-triggered-fetchers)

## GoogleMessages user agent

Google documents this user agent for GoogleMessages. Version numbers in it change over time, so match on the name, not the whole string.

```
GoogleMessages
```

## Should you block GoogleMessages?

Allow it. Blocking it breaks the preview card when someone shares your link.

## How to block GoogleMessages in robots.txt

Google says GoogleMessages does not follow robots.txt, so a robots.txt rule won’t stop it. Block it at your server or firewall by user agent, and by IP if Google publishes its ranges.

- [Build a robots.txt for AI bots](https://invisit.dev/tools/robots-txt-generator)

## How to verify a request is really GoogleMessages

Anyone can send any user agent, so the string alone proves nothing.

Google publishes the IP ranges GoogleMessages crawls from. A request that claims to be GoogleMessages from any other address is not GoogleMessages.

Or check by reverse DNS: look up the hostname of the request’s IP, confirm it ends in `google.com`, then look that hostname up again and confirm it points back to the same IP.

- [GoogleMessages IP ranges](https://developers.google.com/static/crawling/ipranges/user-triggered-fetchers-google.json)

## See when GoogleMessages reads your site

Bots don’t run JavaScript analytics, so a script tag never sees them. invisit records crawler reads on the server instead, through its server SDK or a Cloudflare Worker, and shows which bots read which pages, next to your visitors.

- [Track crawlers with invisit](https://invisit.dev/docs/server/sdk#crawler-reads)

## Common questions

### What is GoogleMessages?

GoogleMessages is a link preview fetcher run by Google. It generates link previews for URLs sent in Google Messages chats.

### Is GoogleMessages safe to block?

Allow it. Blocking it breaks the preview card when someone shares your link.

### How do I block GoogleMessages?

Google documents no robots.txt token for it that we could confirm, so block it at your server or firewall by its user agent.