Google Messages could identify unknown senders in notifications soon
Summary
- Google Messages has been working on new features like Peek gestures and selfie GIF support.
- a recent beta build shows unknown sender names in notifications for added convenience.
- Control over profile discovery settings is integral to protecting user privacy when this feature rolls out.
Google Messages is the company’s flagship instant messaging product, even though it usually handles mundane SMS and RCS chats on most Android devices. While the likes of WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal may lead the way in terms of features, we’ve seen a recent spurt in efforts to create new features for Messages users. Recent beta builds feature interesting additions such as Peek gestures and selfie GIF support. Now, another addition could help identify unknown senders in the app notifications.
Unknown senders which aren’t businesses communicating through registered shortcodes can be rather bothersome,especially if you tend to get bombarded by SMS spam. However, most instant messaging apps like WhatsApp allow the recipient to view sender profiles to ascertain their identity, and the legitimacy of the messages they send. WhatsApp profiles usually show the person’s account name, phone number, and status (depending on privacy settings), but Messages doesn’t give you anything more than a phone number unless you open the app, and even then, you’re often embarrassingly compelled to ask the sender for identification.
Visibility depends on profile settings
Snooping through the latest beta build for the messaging app, Android Authority contributor and reportable app tipster AssembleDebug spotted usernames appearing alongside their contact numbers in notifications for incoming messages from unknown senders. As long as the sender’s phone number isn’t in your contacts and they have enabled the profile discovery feature, you should see their name in the notifications.
Such control is integral to protecting user privacy, and is already in place for when the feature rolls out. However, the app sleuth notes users cannot enable this unknown sender identification feature by tinkering with the beta APK (version messages.android_20240506_01_RC00.phone_samsung_openbeta_dynamic) because the account discovery setting is hidden by default.
While some beta testers can already see unknown sender names in the app, we have high hopes the convenience will extend to notifications soon, because Google’s support documentation already features a guide for modifying profile discovery settings in Google Messages. When that might happen is anyone’s guess.
