Most websites and online services that require you to log into your account through a username and password offer an added layer of security through two-factor authentication (2FA). This involves verifying your identity and that the login attempt is initiated by yourself in a few ways. One common option is to use an authenticator app on a trusted mobile device to generate a unique code that refreshes in short intervals. Another is by typing in a one-time password (OTP) that you should receive via text message on your mobile phone.
Although the latter method is believed to be less secure than other alternatives, many users still use the verification-code-in-an-SMS approach because it’s a straightforward process to get through and often the default option. If you’ve enabled 2FA wherever it’s offered, opted to receive OTPs via text, and never delete messages on your phone, then your messaging app is likely cluttered.
While there may be merit to never deleting a text message you get on your phone, there’s no good reason to retain OTP messages. As the name implies, these codes are for single use only and become useless once entered on a security prompt. If you own an Android phone, you can take advantage of a feature that regularly erases OTP texts from your inbox and keeps it junk-free.
How to get the option to mass-delete OTP messages on an Android phone
To enable this useful and seemingly unknown feature — which was initially launched in early 2022 — you must have Google Messages set up as your Android phone’s default text messaging app. If it’s not already the case, you can download and install it from the Play Store, where it’s named Messages by Google. Once Messages is set as default and the app’s inbox is populated with texts, you can ensure that OTP alerts are automatically detected and deleted soon after receiving them by enabling message organization. Here’s how:
- Launch the Messages by Google app.
- Tap your profile photo in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select “Messages settings.”
- Go to “Messages organization.”
- Enable the toggle next to “View messages by category.”
Jam Kotenko/SlashGear
Turning on message organization will trigger the app’s auto-sorting mechanism that allows it to file messages according to type. There should be two main text message categories: Personal and Business. OTP messages will likely fall into the latter one.
How to enable automatic deletion of OTP texts on Google Messages
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