Google Messages Might Soon Identify Unknown Numbers in Notifications

Google Messages, the default messaging app on most Android phones, is known for handling basic SMS and RCS chats. While it may not boast the feature-rich landscape of apps like WhatsApp or Signal, Google is steadily adding new functionalities to enhance the user experience. Recent updates included interesting features like Peek gestures for message previews and the ability to create selfie GIFs. Now, Google seems to be testing a feature that could significantly improve how you handle messages from unknown numbers: identifying them directly in notifications.

For many users, unidentified phone numbers can be a source of annoyance, especially those who receive frequent spam messages. Messaging apps like WhatsApp typically allow users to view a sender’s profile to verify their identity and assess the legitimacy of their message. This profile information often includes the sender’s name, phone number, and even a status message depending on their privacy settings. Unfortunately, Google Messages currently provides nothing more than the phone number itself, requiring you to open the app and potentially engage in the awkward dance of asking “Who is this?”

Google Messages Might Soon Identify Unknown Numbers in Notifications

However, recent findings by XDA-Developers contributor AssembleDebug offer a glimpse into a potential future for Google Messages. By digging through the latest beta build of the app, AssembleDebug discovered usernames appearing alongside phone numbers in notifications for messages from unknown senders. This means that as long as the sender’s number isn’t already saved in your contacts and they’ve enabled a feature called “profile discovery,” their name will be displayed alongside their phone number in your notification.

This profile discovery feature seems to prioritize user privacy, as it requires the sender to actively enable it. Additionally, according to Google’s support documentation, there’s currently no way for users themselves to activate unknown sender identification within the app itself. Some beta testers are already enjoying the convenience of seeing sender names in notifications. However, it’s unclear when this feature will be available to the public.

The potential arrival of unknown sender identification in notifications is a welcome development for Google Messages users. It can significantly improve the user experience by allowing you to quickly assess the legitimacy of messages without even opening the app. While the exact timeline for this feature’s release remains unknown, Google’s existing support documentation for profile discovery settings suggests that a public rollout could be on the horizon. With this update, Google Messages might finally start catching up to its competitors in terms of user convenience when dealing with messages from unknown contacts.

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