Google is rolling out new security features for those using Google Messages, as well as your standard Google account. These new features are intended to add an extra layer of protection for users, but also help you should you ever find yourself getting locked out of your Google account.

Trusted Contacts: This feature allows users to select trusted friends/family members as people who can help should you ever become locked out of your Google account. Using it is easy, while still ensuring these contacts don’t have any actual access to your account. You’ll shoot them a code should you become locked out of your account, then they will receive an email or notification to confirm it’s really you by verifying the aforementioned code. It’s so straightforward that it might just work.

You can begin setting up Trusted Contacts here.

New features in Google Messages: Google Messages also has two new security features, safer links and Key Verifier. For links, Messages will inform warn you when you click on links inside of messages that are suspected to be spam. This will cut down on people visiting potentially harmful sites. Only if you mark a message as “not spam” will the message not pop up. This protection is now available globally to all Google Messages users.

Key Verifier is the other new feature. It works by allowing you to scan a QR code for your trusted contacts, “adding extra assurance that your end-to-end encrypted messages are truly private with the right person on the other end.” Google says Key Verifier is now available to all Android 10+ users and the company will be rolling out more protections built on Key Verifier in the future.

Check out these new features now.

// Google [2]