Google has introduced new features for its messaging app, Google Messages, aimed at enhancing user privacy and protecting Android users from fraudulent calls and messages. One of these features uses AI models to safeguard against scam texts, particularly those related to package deliveries and job offers.
In addition to this, Google has added features for international users and contact verification. The company announced that by the end of the year, users will begin receiving warnings about suspicious links.
Among the new features is improved spam protection. Beta users with spam protection enabled will now see a feature that identifies potential scam texts, such as fraudulent job offers, and automatically moves them to the spam folder. This is powered by on-device machine learning, and Google assures that text messages remain private unless they are reported as spam.
Google is currently piloting this feature in India, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, where users are warned about potentially harmful links from unknown senders, which are then blocked. The feature is expected to roll out globally by the end of the year.
Another feature Google has introduced is a warning system for sensitive content. This feature blurs explicit content and allows users to choose whether or not to view it. A warning will also appear when the content is forwarded, informing users about its nature.
Additionally, Google Messages will soon automatically hide messages from unknown international senders, moving them to the Spam and Blocked folders. This feature will start as a pilot in Singapore later this year and will gradually expand to other regions.
A major update coming to Google Messages is Contact Verification. This feature will allow users to verify their contacts’ authenticity before sending a message. Google is developing a unified public key verification system, using QR codes, to facilitate this process.