Notification

RCS is now available for texting between Android and iPhones. Learn how to turn on RCS chats on your Android phone (link).

Report spam in Google Messages

When you report a conversation as spam, you also block the sender and move the message to your 'Spam and blocked' folder. Google employees and contractors may also review your spam information to help improve Google's spam and abuse protection for Google Messages and Google's other products and services. Reported conversations are also used to train AI models to improve spam and abuse protection.

When you report spam:
  • The spammer's phone number is reported to Google.
  • Google gets a copy of the last 10 incoming messages from the spammer so that we can improve spam detection. In a group conversation, this can include messages from users other than the spammer:
    • Each reported message includes the sender's phone number and a timestamp of the message.
    • Each reported message sent with Rich Communication Services (RCS) includes an identifying RCS message ID.
    • Each reported RCS group conversation includes an RCS group ID.
    • Each reported message includes the name of the group conversation.
    • Each reported message includes the profile names and phone numbers of all remote users in the conversation except the user who sent the report.
  • Your country code, based on SIM card and IP, is reported to Google.
  • Your past replies to the spammer aren't sent to Google.
  • Your name and phone number aren't linked to the spammer's messages.
  • The spammer can't view your report and won't know about it.
Your report might create a separate 'Spam reporting' conversation. This will send a copy of the spammer's number plus the most recent text message to your mobile operator. These conversations may automatically go to the 'Spam and blocked' folder.
Sending spam reports is optional. You can also block a phone number and don't have to report it to Google. Learn more about spam protection and how to block or unblock a number.

When Google Messages detects a message as spam, that message can be dropped and senders can be suspended if found to violate the Google Terms of Service.

Block and report a conversation

  1. On your Android phone or tablet, open Google Messages .
  2. Touch and hold the conversation that you want to report.
  3. Tap Block and then Report spam and then OK.

Block from inside a conversation

You can also open a conversation and report it as spam.

From the conversation, tap More options More and then Details and then Block and report spam and then OK.

Tips

  • The contact is reported as spam, and the message is sent to your 'Spam and blocked' folder.
  • You can report spam but don't have to block the contact.

When you remove a spam report

To improve spam classification quality, Google receives information about removed spam flags:
  • Each reported message sent with Rich Communication Services (RCS) includes an identifying RCS message ID.
  • Each reported RCS group conversation includes an RCS group ID.
  • The content of the message isn't shared with Google. 

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