How Messages improves suggestions with federated technology

Messages uses secure, federated technology so you can get better, more personalized smart features, such as Smart Reply and other assistive suggestions, while keeping your conversations private on your phone.

Learn more about federated analytics from Google AI Blog

Learn more about federated learning from Google AI

How federated technology works

With the Help Improve Messages setting turned on, federated technology works with your messages, other interactions, and machine-learning models to improve features for the Messages app and ensure that none of your message content or data is sent to Google.

The Messages machine-learning models form the foundational technology driving the smart and assistive features of the app. These models continuously improve through fine-tuned adjustments without sending  your conversation content to Google. First, Messages sends summaries of recent model changes to Google servers. Next, these summaries are combined with summaries from thousands of other devices. Finally, from these combined summaries, the improved models provide smart features that work better for everyone. These combined summaries can’t reveal your conversations or content to Google or anyone else.

Your interactions in Messages, including with smart features, also indirectly inform the Messages machine-learning models. Based partly on your interactions, these machine-learning models adjust the smart features to provide better, more personalized experiences for you. Federated technology ensures that only the adjustments to the machine-learning models and the aggregated information, and none of your content, are sent to the Google federated technology server.

How your data is protected

To ensure your data is kept private and secure, the federated technologies use Secure Aggregation, a method of grouping many similar adjustments together so that Google can’t inspect an adjustment from a single device. The cryptographic protocol of Secure Aggregation prevents Google servers from inspecting individual adjustments, which protects the privacy of your individual adjustments.

You're in control

Improved suggestions are turned on automatically. To turn them off:

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Messages app .
2. Tap More Settings Help improve Messages.
3. Turn off Improve Messages.