They’ve been available in India for some time now.
What you need to know
- Categories on Google Messages are reportedly arriving for users outside India.
- The feature first appeared in mid-2021 and uses machine learning to sort messages based on the sender and message contents.
- This also allows users to auto-delete OTP codes after 24 hours.
- The categories were recently shown off by Google following the Galaxy S22 Ultra launch.
Google Messages appears to be rolling out with a couple of helpful “new” features, according to some users who have spotted message categories on their Android phones.
The features aren’t exactly “new” perse, but it has been exclusive to India since mid-2021. However, 9to5Google notes that it has begun to appear in more parts of the world, signaling the first expansion of the feature.
Those that are receiving the feature are met with an introductory popup explaining how messages are sorted based on the sender and message content, noting that the information is kept securely on your device.
From there, users are able to adjust the feature in settings, where they can toggle it on or off, set a default category view, or opt to auto-delete OTPs.
Interestingly, the available categories are just limited to “All,” “Personal,” and “Business,” leaving out others like “OTP” or “Transactions” like we first saw when the feature arrived in India. However, it’s possible that this could be a region-based decision. Still, it’s good to know that Google is still bringing the option to auto-delete OTPs, which can help declutter your inbox.
Interestingly, the category feature was recently spotted when Google highlighted new features it was bringing to its apps on the Galaxy S22. However, it went unmentioned, although it probably served as a teaser that it was on its way.
It’s unclear how widely this feature is rolling out. So far, none of the Android Central staff have noticed it on their devices, including those on the app’s beta version. That said, many of us are still waiting to receive the iMessage reaction feature, so it could be some time before it rolls out to everyone.
Google Messages recently went through a bit of a design change after Google introduced the left menu pane for certain filters and settings alongside the Google account thumbnail for additional app settings. This change also brought the new Google Photos link sharing for videos sent via MMS.
The perfect balance
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Just enough
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is one of our favorite phones, thanks to its 120Hz AMOLED display, impressive triple-camera array, and large battery. The S22 Plus is just enough phone for most users.