If you use Google Messages, you will be able to define your profile, by choosing the photo and name that will appear to all your correspondents. A bit like what WhatsApp offers, ultimately!
Installed as standard on most Android smartphones, Google Messages, Google’s free SMS, MMS and RCS application, has attracted many users – it has no less than five million downloads worldwide – and continues to grow. enrich itself with new very practical functions – even if Apple still refuses to adopt the RCS protocol. After overhauling the application interface last October in order to simplify navigation and provide new functions (see our article), Google is deploying a system of customizable profiles in order to share your profile photo and your name with everyone your contacts using RCS messaging. Rumors have been circulating for a while now that 9to5google just confirmed. It seems that Google is trying to catch up, with Apple and WhatsApp already offering a similar system – Meta instant messaging is even preparing an alternative profile, in order to better protect the personal data of its users (see our article ).
Google Messages: profiles to easily identify your contacts
With this new addition, a new Profile Discovery menu appears in the app’s advanced settings. It lets you choose a profile photo and personalize your name, and both will display to anyone with your phone number or email address. Enough to identify your contacts more easily! Several displays are possible. You have the choice between full name, initials, a mixture of the two or just a first name. For the profile image, you can put a photo, but also keep the avatar associated with the Google account or display the initials with a plain background.
On the application, Google invites us to “choose a name and image to help anyone with your phone number or email address recognize you in Google products”. The Internet giant has not yet specified which other services, in addition to Messages, will be affected, but we can bet on Google Contacts, Gmail, Google Photos or even Google Chat. Of course, it is entirely possible to deactivate the function in the settings. The deployment of profiles is in progress and currently only concerns users of the beta version of Google Messages. We will probably have to wait a few more weeks before everyone can benefit from it.