Google Messages is bundled by default on some of thebest Android phonesavailable today. Like most messaging apps, Messages also undergoes occasional changes, like the recent and somewhat controversialrevamp of the in-app camera UI. We’re now stumbling upon another new, under-development Google Messages feature pertaining to parental controls.
How to enable, disable, and use RCS Chat in Google Messages
It’s probably time we moved on from the old SMS standard
First spotted by renowned Google app decoderAssembleDebug, the latest Google Messages beta20240416_00_RC01includes flags that enable parental controls for conversations (viaPiunikaWeb). The source claims this feature has been in the works for a while but managed to enable it now by flipping a few (unspecified) flags. Details on the setup process are currently scarce, but the corresponding screenshots show how the contents of the messages will be hidden from view.
Opening a restricted individual or group chat returns a blank conversation with the words - “To send, ask your parent for approval.” Meanwhile, the chat list also doesn’t reveal the contents of the messages, asking the child instead to obtain the parent or guardian’s permission. PiunikaWeb notes that these parental controls can be applied to both regular SMS conversations and RCS chats.
This feature could be a part of the Family Link app
There isn’t a lot of info on how users would go about activating advanced parental controls for Google Messages. But as PiunikaWeb predicts, it’s likely to be bundled with the currently availableFamily Linkapp, which offers extensive parental controls across the Android ecosystem, including the ability to see where your kids are on a map or set screen time limits.
Since this feature is still in development, we suspect it could be a while before it rolls out to Messages users all over the world. Nevertheless, it’s a much-needed inclusion for the app, given that messaging is a key part of our lives today. With this in mind, giving parents the option to know who their kids are texting while also hiding specific conversations from their view is a good start.
Hiding conversations from the kids' view appears tailored for situations where the parent’s primary phone is being shared with the child. So it likely won’t apply when the child has a dedicated smartphone of their own.
