I always raved about this genius Google Messages feature — but I stopped using it

I don't like everything in Google Messages, but I still use it as the primary text messaging app on my Android phone.

Since text messaging is only a small part of my daily digital communication, I haven't seriously thought about giving another messaging app a chance.

I don't regret not trying to find alternatives to replace Google Messages as my main text messaging app.

While it may deserve credit for that, I recently felt differently about one of its features that I once lavished with praise.

Unlike in the case where I'm unsure why I haven't tried alternatives, I can say with more certainty that Google isn't the one to blame for my sudden change of heart about one of the best features in the Google Messages app.

This was even more frustrating because I had no one to blame. The growing frustration forced me to disable the feature and move on.

Here is why I stopped using the Google Messages feature despite it being a genius capability I once raved about.

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Auto-delete OTP in Google Messages does exactly what it promises

And therein lies the problem

The auto-delete OTP capability is only a couple of layers deep inside the Google Messages' Settings, so it isn't hard to find.

I remember turning it on the day Google introduced it in Google Messages sometime in 2021. It instantly became one of my favorite Google Messages features, because it does exactly what it promises.

When you enable it, Google Messages will automatically delete all your messages with OTPs and security codes from businesses after 24 hours.

Since the day I started using it, I've never needed to delete those messages containing OTPs manually.

I enjoyed everything about it until a couple of days ago when my parcel arrived after a week of delay.

As furious as I was because of the delay, it didn't last long because I was more affected by the embarrassing situations that the auto-delete functionality put me into.

I failed to tell my OTP to the courier person because Google Messages automatically deleted it as per my instructions. It took me a while to realize that I wouldn't be able to find it because it's not there.

After a few minutes of failed attempts from my side, the courier requested the company to send another OTP to my registered number to complete the delivery.

The incident was an opener for me, and it changed my perception of the auto-delete feature forever.

I've disabled it, fearing the same could happen again, and next time, it may not be that easy to request a new OTP.

I'm back to the good bad old days of manually deleting OTPs in Google Messages.

To disable or enable the auto-delete feature in Google Messages, open Settings and tap Message organization and enable or disable the Auto-delete OTP messages after 24 hours toggle.

Google can fix auto-delete OTP

But it probably won't

Google did nothing wrong with the auto-delete OTP functionality. It works as you'd expect, but it can backfire, as was the case with me, in certain scenarios if you aren't careful.

I was thinking about the issue the other day and wondered what if Google Messages offered users the ability to add exceptions to the auto-delete feature.

Google can also fix it by allowing users to choose when those OTPs are deleted, with one week as the maximum option.

I'll go back to it without hesitation if Google Messages prevents selected OTPs from getting deleted automatically when the feature is turned on.

However, I'm not keeping my hopes up because most people nowadays send messages over the internet instead of using standard SMS. The number of people who use and care about the auto-delete OTP will be even smaller.

I don't think Google Messages is a priority for the company right now because standard SMS usage is on a steady decline.

Since Google hasn't infused AI into Google Messages as aggressively as it did in its other popular apps is an indication that not many people use text messaging.

I'd argue that Google probably won't do anything more than what's essential in Google Messages because of the lack of users' interest in sending text. The auto-delete OTP is a convenience, not a core feature.

I'll be more than happy to be proven wrong.

I still recommend Google Messages

My stance on the auto-delete feature has changed, but I still have mostly positive things to say about Google Messages and can recommend the app to my friends and family.

It's not that complicated. The pros of Google Messages are way too many, and certainly a lot more than its cons, to stop recommending it to others.

However, I never recommended Google Messages with reservations until the moment I changed my mind about auto-delete.

The flaw has only muted my enthusiasm, but my admiration for what Google Messages does is still there. It's still the best way to text on Android.