In a significant move to enhance the safety and security of text communication, Google has announced updates to its Messages app, aimed at providing users with a more secure messaging experience. These updates are part of Google’s broader effort to safeguard users from spam, phishing, and potential scams that have become increasingly prevalent in digital communication.
Google’s initiative includes the introduction of Verified SMS and enhanced spam protection features. Verified SMS functions by confirming the authenticity of business messages. When you receive a text from a business, Verified SMS will verify the message on a per-message basis, ensuring it’s indeed sent by the business claiming to send it. This process is executed without sending your messages to Google, thus preserving your privacy. Once a message is verified, users will notice the business’s name and logo, along with a verification badge in the message thread, providing a clear indication of the message’s legitimacy. This feature aims to combat phishing attempts by making it easier for users to distinguish between genuine business communications and potential scams.
Expanding beyond Verified SMS, Google has also extended its spam protection capabilities to Google Voice, covering SMS messages across both Android and iOS platforms. This new layer of protection automatically labels suspected spam messages, visually indicating their status with a red exclamation mark in the profile avatar area and marking the message preview with a ‘Suspected spam’ label. Users encountering these labels have the option to confirm the message as spam, directing future messages from that number to the spam folder, or to mark the message as not spam if it’s been incorrectly labeled, thus removing the spam label for future messages from that number. This feature is accessible to both paid Google Voice customers and users with free personal accounts in the US, enhancing protection against unwanted and potentially harmful communications.
The rollout of these features underscores Google’s commitment to user safety and security, leveraging advanced artificial intelligence to identify and flag spam messages. By providing clear indicators of message authenticity and potential spam, Google aims to create a safer, more trustworthy messaging environment for its users.
