Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google introduced the Profiles function in Google Messages final 12 months, however remains to be within the technique of rolling out this profile discovery function to all customers.
- We have noticed settings that point out Google is including some privateness choices to this profile discovery function.
- This could give customers management over who can see their identify and profile image.
Google Messages is again within the highlight lately as the first means to RCS messaging on the Android platform. Increasingly companies are abandoning their messaging apps in favor of Google Messages, so it is essential that Messages evolves right into a service that meets the wants and expectations of a broader person base. Google formally introduced Profiles in November 2023 as a approach to uncover profiles. Whereas the function remains to be being rolled out patchily, we have noticed clues that Google is working to handle privateness points round profile discovery.
A APK Teardown It helps predict options that will come to a service sooner or later primarily based on work-in-progress code. Nonetheless, such deliberate options could not make it to a public launch.
As a part of the profiles, also referred to as the profile discovery function, customers can select:
- Use your profile identify or a brief identify.
- Present or conceal your profile photograph.
Google Messages v20241010 beta contains adjustments that give customers extra granular controls over who can see their identify and profile photograph. We managed to activate the choices for this subsequent function:
With the brand new choices inside Google Messages, you might have three choices for profile privateness and visibility:
- Individuals you ship messages to: This feature will possible present everybody you ship your identify and profile photograph first. It can be interpreted as just like setting your profile to “Public” on a social media web site, permitting everybody to seek out you after they seek for your quantity by way of the Profile Discovery function.
- Solely your contacts: This feature will possible limit your identify and profile photograph and make them seen solely to individuals in your telephone’s contact e book.
- No one: This feature will possible conceal your identify and profile photograph from everybody.
These new choices will possible be introduced to customers after they register to Google Messages for the primary time (as soon as this modification is applied), as you possibly can see within the first screenshot. After initialization, it is possible for you to to entry these settings by means of the “Your Profile” choice within the account switcher, as you possibly can see within the second screenshot.
It is unclear if selecting the “No one” choice will disable profile discovery options. Nonetheless, the pliability of those choices will deal with a great portion of the reputable privateness considerations individuals had about their identify and profile photograph being seen to anybody with their quantity and even to individuals who looked for numbers at random.
It is essential to notice that you would be able to’t but set a special profile image or identify for Google Messages. Your profile in Google Messages takes the identify and film of your Google account, that’s, your Gmail profile image.
Profiles haven’t but been extensively rolled out to all Google Messages customers, not even a 12 months after they have been introduced. But it surely’s good to see Google making progress on fixing privateness points forward of a broader rollout. We do not know when this function will probably be out there to all customers, however we are going to preserve you knowledgeable.
