Google Plans to Pair Your Google+ Pic With Phone Number
Google engineering director Attila Bodis revealed on Monday that the company plans to tie Android 4.4's caller I.D. feature with profile pictures used on Google Plus (Google+). This feature will supposedly arrive in early 2014, thus allowing Android device owners to visually see who is calling them. Of course, if the profile picture is of a cat, that's what will be seen on the receiving end.
As revealed last week, Android 4.4 "KitKat" will sport a new dialer app and Caller ID, allowing Android device owners to screen their calls even better than before. For businesses, Google matches numbers against the names of companies and services with a Google Places listing. On the Google Apps front, lookups from a user's Google Apps domain will let him/her know if someone important is calling.
"Coming in early 2014, users who have verified their phone number and have discovery turned on will have their names and Google Profile photos display whenever they call you, or you call them (it's great if a new friend who hasn't been saved in your contacts yet calls you). Check your Google Account to make sure you are happy with how you appear on caller ID by Google."
The big ordeal surrounding this new visually identifying feature is that users will be opted in by default, or at least, that's the general assumption. Changing this feature is as simple as hitting this link and unticking the checkbox. Of course, that won't stop recipients from adding their own picture of you in their Android-based contacts, but at least users have the option of remaining "unseen" to unfamiliar Android users.
Another thing to consider is that this feature will presumably reside in Android 4.4, which won't be on every Android device for the next six months. Then again, there's speculation that this feature may roll out on Jelly Bean builds and older much like the Device Manager did over the summer. That may be why this feature isn't making its debut with Android 4.4 rollout over the next several months.
Regardless, if you don't want your face showing up on Android phones by default, then head here.

It's just not that, it's Google's constant destroying of people's privacy.
This should be something people should be able to opt in to, not just have happen.
Google is beyond the point now where Microsoft was when Microsoft was sued over anti-trust. With all this forcing of Google services on Android users (and yes, I am an Android user), it's about time they get investigated.
But Google is well known for changing things against what many want and not giving an option out of it. It is really getting out of control at this point though.
Two things I want is just alittle more privacy and more control which isn't too much to ask.
It's just not that, it's Google's constant destroying of people's privacy.
This should be something people should be able to opt in to, not just have happen.
Google is beyond the point now where Microsoft was when Microsoft was sued over anti-trust. With all this forcing of Google services on Android users (and yes, I am an Android user), it's about time they get investigated.
I bet you're one of those people who thinks the NSA cares cares what you do too.
What Google has done is made it very easy to log into all of their services with a single ID. You don't have to make your G+ information visible on your YouTube channel or comments if you choose not to. Anything can be opted out of.
I'd like to know how Google is forcing anyone to use any of their services. You have a Windows Phone? You need a Windows account. You have an iPhone? You need an Apple ID. That's nothing new.
Newsflash to everyone: Google doesn't give two pounds of Rhino dung about who you are personally. All they want is your behavior patterns so they can send you ads. Google has hundreds of millions of users. Do you really think Larry and Sergey sit around and read your emails just to know about your meaningless lives?
And if you bring up the NSA, you suffer from paranoia. Unless you regularly send emails and money to Saudi Arabia to some guy named Akmed Hoonktihoo, they don't even know you exist.
But Google is well known for changing things against what many want and not giving an option out of it. It is really getting out of control at this point though.
Examples?
It's just not that, it's Google's constant destroying of people's privacy.
This should be something people should be able to opt in to, not just have happen.
Google is beyond the point now where Microsoft was when Microsoft was sued over anti-trust. With all this forcing of Google services on Android users (and yes, I am an Android user), it's about time they get investigated.
I bet you're one of those people who thinks the NSA cares cares what you do too.
What Google has done is made it very easy to log into all of their services with a single ID. You don't have to make your G+ information visible on your YouTube channel or comments if you choose not to. Anything can be opted out of.
I'd like to know how Google is forcing anyone to use any of their services. You have a Windows Phone? You need a Windows account. You have an iPhone? You need an Apple ID. That's nothing new.
Newsflash to everyone: Google doesn't give two pounds of Rhino dung about who you are personally. All they want is your behavior patterns so they can send you ads. Google has hundreds of millions of users. Do you really think Larry and Sergey sit around and read your emails just to know about your meaningless lives?
And if you bring up the NSA, you suffer from paranoia. Unless you regularly send emails and money to Saudi Arabia to some guy named Akmed Hoonktihoo, they don't even know you exist.
This has nothing to do with NSA or any such mess. This has to do with me controlling my own personal information and not Google deciding how my personal information should be used.
And just having an Android phone pushes you into EVERYTHING Google and it's getting ridiculous.
I was on World of Warcraft when they were having their discussion on whether to use real names (or at least names used on the accounts) on the forums. The moment people started "Oh using real names doesn't cause problems, here's my real name *insert name here*" all of a sudden these people got proven wrong because they were quite easy to find and many of them put in follow up posts about how they were wrong and changed their opinion. Even a Blizzard CM was quickly found using a Pipl search with nothing more than his real name being known.
I don't have to worry about my picture being shown because I don't use Google plus, though it gets annoying every time to go to Youtube and trying to click through prompts trying to force me to use it. It exists since I have a gmail account, which I have to have since I'm an Android user, but I have no picture on it. But displaying a picture does nothing for Google showing advertising. There is no benefit to them whatsoever and this shouldn't be something forced on people. If Google wants to offer as an OPT IN option for people to use fine, but it shouldn't even be just opt out, and apparently there is no way to even opt out.
I'm actually starting to agree with this thinking. At the same time, I think we need the right to NOT do so. Nothing Google is doing compromises those rights.
But Google is well known for changing things against what many want and not giving an option out of it. It is really getting out of control at this point though.
Examples?
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/websearch/yq9kU5WnGCs
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/youtube/wd1PdOugKEw[1-25-false]
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/youtube/GUc8oDEyIcY
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/youtube/GegpMl-Yacs
If hundreds of posts of unhappy users is not enough, then I don't what is.
Its not this in particular but google as a whole is not always providing what the majority wants.
that aside, you realize this is about what happens to CALLER ID on OTHER PEOPLE's phones right? personally I like having a picture associated w/ the person calling me, especially if it's a name I'm not familiar with. what happens? I basically use people's FB pic on my caller ID anyway... you have to realize that stuff you put on something like a social network... you have no control over, it's in that user agreement, READ IT and actually CHOOSE. no one says you have to use fb or google+
But Google is well known for changing things against what many want and not giving an option out of it. It is really getting out of control at this point though.
Examples?
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/websearch/yq9kU5WnGCs
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/youtube/wd1PdOugKEw[1-25-false]
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/youtube/GUc8oDEyIcY
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/youtube/GegpMl-Yacs
If hundreds of posts of unhappy users is not enough, then I don't what is.
That's all you could come up with?
You have one post about someone complaining about the old search results side bar being changed two years ago, two posts complaining about how YouTube changed it's layout two years ago, and one about people not wanting to show their full name on YouTube (something they can one click opt out of).
These things are like a grain in the sand compared to stuff other companies get complaints about. Look at iOS 7 or WIndows 8 if you want to see negative user feedback.
I think Google is going to be fine lol.