Your chats stay private with spam detection

With real-time spam detection, Messages makes chatting easier and safer. Spam detection works with your message data while keeping your messages private. And it’s optional, so you're in control.

How spam detection works

Messages tries to detect suspected spam and hides it in the spam folder. If you see a suspected spam warning in Messages, you can let Google know if it’s spam or not by tapping 'Report spam' or 'Report not spam'.

How we protect your data

We use data without personally identifying you.

When spam protection is on, Messages uses machine learning models that operate on your device to detect known spam patterns in your messages. The app analyses these patterns to catch more spam and warn you sooner. Because spam is detected on-device, Messages warns you about spam even when you don’t have a data connection.

To help identify spammers, Google temporarily stores the phone numbers of received messages for numbers that aren't in your contacts. This data isn't linked to you or to personal identifiers like your name or phone number, which means Google doesn’t know who you’re messaging.

Messages doesn’t share or send your message content to Google servers for spam unless you report messages to Google as spam.

Learn more about reporting spam or blocking a number.

You're in control

Spam protection is turned on automatically, and you’ll be notified when this happens. You can turn it off at any time in your settings:

  1. Open the Messages app Messages logo round.
  2. Tap More More and then Settings and then Spam protection.
    • You'll only see 'Spam protection' if it's available on your device.
  3. Turn Enable spam protection on or off.
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