Google Messages is updated to prevent you from receiving SMS scams

Google is launching new updates for its Messages app, focused on improving protection against spam and scams. Additionally, the app will include an optional feature to blur any images that may contain nudity or other sensitive content before the user views them.

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As detailed by Google in a blog post, users of the beta version of Google Messages will benefit from an enhanced anti-scam system that more accurately detects fraudulent messages, especially those that include fake job offers or claim that a package delivery is pending, aiming to obtain personal data. An improvement of a system that Google implemented long ago in its app and that moves suspicious messages to a spam folder or warns you upon receiving them, thanks to its on-device machine learning technology.

Regarding protection against sensitive content, the company explains that it will work through a local scan on the device, which ensures that Google does not access the images or break the end-to-end encryption of RCS messages. For users under 18, this warning will be activated automatically. The feature will be available in the coming months for devices with Android 9 or higher versions, as long as they have more than 2 GB of RAM.

Another feature in development is the ability to automatically hide messages from unknown international numbers, along with the implementation of warnings when a potentially dangerous link is received. These new features will be rolled out progressively.

Finally, Google plans to introduce a “contact verification” feature in 2024, which will allow users to confirm a contact’s identity using a public key.

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