Profile discovery, which was announced last November, is now undergoing a broader rollout in Google Messages. The most noticeable change is the updated contact photos. When you sign in with your Google Account in Messages (indicated by your profile picture appearing in the top-right corner and access to QR code-less Device pairing), “Profile Sharing” is activated.
The Profile, linked to your phone number, includes a picture and a name (you can also opt to use an initial instead) that you select. From now on, this image will be displayed in Google Messages conversations you have with others, whether it’s a one-on-one chat or a group conversation.
Users Can Now Identify Unknown Message Senders Easily
Google mentioned that this feature “solves the issue of receiving messages from phone numbers not saved in your contacts” and it will be “especially helpful in group chats so that you can identify all the other participants in the group.” It could be an enhancement compared to just seeing initials or letters instead of a photo.
This feature will modify what appears on the Google Messages homescreen and inside conversations, including at the top-left corner and in the new Contacts page. Google is specifically replacing any photos you may have manually set in Google Contacts. However, custom names remain unaffected.
There are some people strongly dislike this change and prefer the images they set themselves. Unfortunately, there’s currently no way to override this new behavior. You can only set your own preference by going to Messages settings > Advanced > Profile discovery. This will open the Google Account page where you can turn Profile Sharing on or off. Similarly, you can ask others to do the same.
This feature of Google Messages tied to Google Account is now being rolled out widely, as users are noticing the updated contact photos in recent days.
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Positive Impacts of Profile Discovery in Google Messages for End Users
- Easier Contact Recognition: Profile pictures can help users easily identify who they are messaging, especially in group chats where nicknames might be unclear. This can be particularly useful for recognizing contacts not saved in the user’s phonebook.
- Enhanced User Experience: Seeing profile pictures can add a more personal touch to messaging and make conversations feel more interactive.
- Standardization: Having a unified profile picture system across Google Messages and Google Accounts can streamline the user experience.
Negative Impacts of Profile Discovery in Google Messages for End Users
- Loss of Control: Users lose control over the image displayed for their contacts. If they prefer a different picture than the one linked to their Google Account, they are currently unable to override it within Google Messages. This is because the power to make those changes now rely solely on the user that uploaded the image.
- Privacy Concerns: Some users might be uncomfortable with their Google Account profile picture being automatically displayed in messaging conversations. However, those who may be uncomfortable with their photos showing in Google Messages conversations can just opt to use letters. These layers could represent their initials or other texts of their choice.
- Unexpected Changes: The automatic rollout of this feature can be disruptive. Especially for users who prefer the way things were before and were not expecting this change. It would be okay if Google allowed users to perform manual updates to their Google Messages app in order to make use of this feature. Users could just get the opportunity to read the update log text from the Play Store. This will help them decide if they truly want to update the app or stick to the old one.
Overall, Profile Discovery in Google Messages offers a potential benefit for easier contact recognition. However, it comes at the cost of user control over displayed pictures and potential privacy concerns.