Google today announced a plethora of new features that will be making their way to Android with an update. One of the main highlights that will be part of the software update happens to be end-to-end encryption to the Google Messages app. This is alongside the ability for users to star important messages that they intend to refer to in the future.

These new features among more were announced by Google via a blog post detailing every single new tool that Android smartphones are getting adding up to about seven features. Google Messages will obviously be stoked to learn that their texts will be secure now thanks to end-to-end encryption. This follows the addition of the RCS (Rich Communications Services) SMS protocol that had been a reason for mockery from the famous iMessage users for years.

However, the encryption will only apply to one-on-one chats and not group chats. The extra layer of security will be indicated by a lock icon on the send button assuring you that no one else is tapping into your messages.

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Other than this, Google will also be rolling out earthquake alerts for Android users in more countries across the globe. The company has apparently built an earthquake alert detection network for Android.

“With this free system, people in affected areas can get alerts seconds before an earthquake hits, giving you advance notice in case you need to seek safety.”

This feature will be made available on the Google Search app in countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Philippines, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. This is as the search giant plans to distribute it to users in other countries soon.