What you need to know
- Google Messages app's latest beta version teardown has revealed some interesting changes coming to Profile discovery feature.
- Users will be able to hide their name and profile picture from their contacts, or show them only to people whom they chat with.
- The Profile discovery feature was first introduced by Google last November on the messaging platform.
Back in November, Google Messages launched the long-awaited "Profiles" feature on the messaging platform in beta. While it seemingly hasn't been rolled out to everyone yet, new evidence shows new features may already be on the way to help users better take control over their privacy.
This comes from folks at Android Authority, who have discovered additional privacy features in their APK teardown of the latest Google Messages v20241010 beta version of the app.
Users have to keep in mind that these options were found in the Google Messages app's setup screen. Currently, Messages allows users to turn on or off the Profile discovery feature and simultaneously see how they want their names showcased, including full name, short name, or initials.
However, new findings from the teardown give users some privacy options, like the ability to show their name and profile picture to People you message, only your contacts, or no one.
These new privacy options appear self-explanatory, giving users a bit more control over who gets to see their profile information. As such, you can enable the feature for your contacts so they can see your name and profile image based on your profile details, or you can hide it completely, and the person you're messaging will just have to rely on manually entered details on their end.
It is encouraging to see Google providing such options for its messaging platform, which has been constantly seeing nifty improvements and adding new features on Wear OS.
Also, these profile privacy features might be new to Google Messages, but they have been around for a while in several other messaging apps on Android phones. Privacy features, like the ability to hide stories, statuses, etc., are incorporated even deeper into them.
The publication also notes that Google Messages users still cannot set their preferred profile picture but rather stick to what they put to their Google/Gmail account. It is possible that we might see the ability in future updates on Google Messages.
Now that the privacy options have surfaced in the latest Google Messages beta app, the feature will likely be officially released soon since they appear to already be available on a Google Messages support page, unless the search giant has other plans.
