If you’re a Google Messages user, you know that there’s a way to automatically delete OTPs (One Time Pieces) from your account. This is a great way to keep your account clean and organized, and it’s also a great way to prevent yourself from having to remember all of your old OTPs. To do this, you’ll need to create an OTP deletion account on Google. Once you’ve created the account, you’ll need to set up some rules for how your OTPs are handled. Here are some tips:

  1. Make sure that all of your OTPs are stored in one place. If they’re spread out across different places on your device, they’ll likely get mixed up and won’t be deleted properly.
  2. Delete any old OTPs that you no longer use. This will help ensure that your new OTPs are deleted properly and without any issues.
  3. Make sure that all of the information about your old OTPs is preserved. This will help ensure that when you delete them, you’re deleting the correct information and not any old data or memories that may still be useful to you!

OTPs via SMS may not be the most secure, but it’s a very common choice for 2FA. Since an OTP is by definition only for one-time use, there’s not much danger in keeping them around. That also means there’s no reason to save them. So let’s make it easy to keep your messaging app clean.

RELATED: What Is Two-Factor Authentication, and Why Do I Need It?

We’ll be using Google’s Messaging app for this. It’s pre-installed on many Android devices already, but you can download it from the Play Store if you don’t have it. Upon opening the app, you’ll be walked through setting it as the default.

Next, tap your profile icon in the top right.

Select “Messages Settings” from the menu.

Go to “Message Organization” in the settings.

Now simply toggle on “Auto-Delete OTPs After 24 Hrs.”

As explained on the settings screen, this will permanently delete any current OTPs you have and those in the future. That’s perfect because OTPs are only valid for a very short time, usually around 10 minutes. 24 hours is more than enough time to use the OTP, though you may want to consider switching from getting them via SMS.

RELATED: Why You Shouldn’t Use SMS for Two-Factor Authentication (and What to Use Instead)