Android Phone Users Can Categorise Messages, Auto Delete OTPs

In India, Google has released two new features for the Messages app.

Google has updated its communication app to make it simpler for Indian users to distinguish between critical and irrelevant messages.

"We’ve heard from many users in India that they receive a lot of different types of messages, from friends and family and businesses sending promotions, receipts, order confirmations and more. With so many incoming texts vying for your attention, it can be difficult to separate the important ones from everything else. To help you easily manage your messages, today we have two new updates to the Messages app to share," said the company.

Here’s a look at them in detail:

The first feature added to messages will be support for a new layout, which will be driven by machine learning. According to Google, messages will organise users' messages into categories like personal, transactional, and OTPs, which should make it easier to discover messages when they're needed.

This implies that bank transactions and invoices will appear on the transactions page, while chats with stored numbers will appear on the personal tab.

"All of this happens safely on your device, so your conversations stay in the app and you can access your categorised messages offline," said Google.

Auto-delete of OTPs

By automatically deleting one-time passwords (OTPs) 24 hours after they are received, this message app feature allows users to keep their inbox clutter-free. This functionality must be activated manually by selecting ‘Continue' when the app prompts you to confirm your choice.

When will these features roll out?

These capabilities in the Messages app will be rolled out in English over the coming weeks for Android phones in India running Android 8 and newer, according to a company blog post. These features are optional and may be controlled through the options menu.