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Google Messages Profile Discovery rolling out to some users
- Google is slowly rolling out “Profile Discovery” for Google Messages.
- The feature allows you to create a profile with your name and photo to help those with your phone number or email recognize you in Google products.
- It’s unclear what other Google products or services will use this profile.
Google is now rolling out a “Profile Discovery” feature in one of the best messaging apps for Android. But it appears that only some users currently have access to it.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), user Matthew Garbett shared images of Profile Discovery in the Google Messages app. It appears the app has begun rolling out in beta.
Interesting: Google Messages is starting to roll out “Profile Discovery” to some users.“Keep profile discovery on to show a name and picture to people who find you by email or phone number(s) in Google products and services” https://t.co/lgBi7eoZYe— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) November 14, 2023
Based on the images, it looks like you’ll have the option to turn the feature on or off. As the feature explains, turning Profile Discovery on will “show a name and picture to people who find you by email or phone number(s) in Google products and services.” This suggests that your profile will appear in other places, but it’s unclear what other Google products or services will adopt the feature. It also shows an example of how your profile will appear to other people.
Profiles were first spotted back in January when Reddit users found a Profile preferences page in Android’s settings. An APK teardown of the app, conducted by 9to5Google, later gave us more information. In this teardown, it was learned that this feature would allow you to choose a profile name and photo to make it easier for people to recognize you.
As mentioned earlier, the feature is in beta and has only become available to some users. The rollout should expand out to other beta users in due time.