Android Messages, or in Spanish, Android messages, is the app of Google destined to the management of the SMS in your terminal. Among the functionalities most appreciated by the users of this application is to be able to manage the messages of your terminal from a browser version for PC. Now, in addition, it is activating a new antispam filter In some users, intended to reduce suspicious messages and unwanted communications. That's how it works.
The app in question is receiving an update that is currently being rolled out to some users. To check if you've received it, simply launch the app because a tab will appear on the home screen, where your received SMS messages are listed, detailing the new arrivals that are being tested, among them, this new anti-spam filter and improvements related to protection against unwanted communications.
While unsolicited email has been a common occurrence in our email inboxes, spam has always been present in postal mail and, of course, in the messages we receive in our email. AndroidOperators showing interest in our line, offers we never wanted to receive, and even messages with links of dubious reliability that could fill your phone with intrusive advertising or try to steal your data.
How to activate this new antispam filter in Android Messages
If you are one of the lucky ones who already have this new utility in the application, all you have to do is open it, go to Settings (top right, select Settings) and you will find the option to activate this antispam filter specific to suspicious messages.
In the Google Messages settings path, generally speaking, the followed are:
- Open the app Messages of Google.
- Tap on the three vertical dots icon in the upper right corner.
- Enter the section Spam and blocked.
- Activate option Enable spam protection or similar.
By activating this function, the app will begin analyzing the sender of the messagesText patterns and other indicators are used to determine if the content is unwanted. SMS messages marked as suspicious will be displayed in a separate section or with a prominent warning so you can review them more carefully.
Of course, Google warns that to collect data about which messages are considered spam, many of these messages will have to be forwarded to Mountain View, with the obvious the infringement on privacy that this entails If you don't properly manage permissions, this sharing of information is intended to improve automatic spam detection, but you should know exactly what is being shared.
The utility, which was detected by Android Police, is presumed to send data such as the following to Google: sender number This includes spam submissions, as well as certain technical data about your phone or, perhaps, the integrity of the message considered spam. You can also manually report a spam message, which, as mentioned, will send the entire message to Google to add to its database of suspicious numbers and texts.
Privacy, shared data, and how the filter manages information
This spam protection system in Android Messages works very similarly to other Google services designed to block spam. unwanted calls or fraudulent emails. To better identify what is spam and what isn't, the phone must send certain information to Google's servers:
- The sender's phone number from the suspicious SMS.
- Technical information about the device and network is sent to help classify the message.
- In manual spam reports, you can send the full SMS content to analyze patterns.
Google, for its part, indicates that it does not obtain numbers from your contact list to create this spam database, and which seeks to minimize the amount of personal data processed. Even so, if you are particularly concerned about privacy, you can choose to disable spam protection from your Google Messages settings, assuming that you will lose some of the automatic protection.
This same philosophy is replicated in the caller ID and spam protection in the app Google PhoneWhen you make or receive a call from someone not in your contacts, the number may be sent to Google to determine if it's a verified business or potential spam. The logic is the same as that used for SMS filtering, but focused on calls.
Block spam messages and calls from the Google Phone app
In addition to the Android Messages spam filter, it is highly recommended to combine it with the system of caller ID and spam protection from the Google Phone app, which usually comes pre-installed on many Android devices (Pixel, Xiaomi, Motorola and other models with "pure" Android).
This system allows you to view information about people or companies that call you These calls aren't in your contacts, and you'll also receive warnings when a call is likely spam. On many phones, these options are enabled by default, but you can review and adjust them to your liking.
In general, the followed are:
- On your device, open the app Telephone of Google.
- Tap More options and enter Settings > Caller ID & Spam.
- Activate or deactivate View caller ID and spam.
- Optionally, activate Filter spam calls if you want calls marked as spam to be automatically blocked.
When the system recognizes a number as suspicious, it may display messages such as "Suspected spam" or "Spam" on the screen. You decide whether to answer, hang up, or block it directly. And, if you notice that a legitimate call is marked as spam, you can tap on it in the call history and choose the option "It's not spam" to correct the filter and avoid future errors with that number.
On some devices, especially in the Pixel range, spam call filtering is integrated with advanced features of Automatic call screeningAccording to the model, this can be equivalent to different levels of protection (basic, silently reject, etc.), but always with the same idea: to minimize aggressive sales calls and attempts at telephone fraud.
Avoid spam SMS messages on Android using Google Messages and extra apps
It is true that, except in certain contexts and territories, SMS messages They've gone from being a communication method to a channel for receiving order confirmations, two-factor authentication codes, and advertising. Google is trying to revive them and dethrone WhatsApp and its competitors with its RCS messaging service, but for the moment, things don't seem to be progressing with the same widespread adoption.
And speaking of these advertising messages, the same channel is also used to send us false informationLike those infamous SMS messages that pretend to be from a courier company, the tax authorities, or your own bank. Something similar, by the way, also happens with phone calls, when telemarketing companies decide they won't let you rest no matter how much you try. But there's a way to avoid this, or at least minimize it. Let's tell you how. How can you block spam messages? both on Android and on iPhone, starting with everything you can do from the system.
We arrive at Android territory and here things get a little more complicated because although The Google Messages app is usually the default. To manage SMS messaging, there are other apps we can install and replace the first one. Or perhaps we even have a phone that doesn't come with Messages pre-installed, like some Huawei models. As we've said, things get a bit more complicated because each manufacturer adds its own layer and features.
So let's start with What to activate in Google Messages to combat spamAlthough the app itself already has a built-in filter that does much of the work. It's similar to the iPhone, except that in Google Messages the option is usually active by default, so the app itself warns us with each SMS that it might be spam if the contact isn't in our address book. If it's not activated, we'll open Google Messages, tap the three dots, and go to 'Spam and blocked' and we will activate 'Enable spam protection'.
- We open the Messages app.
- We click on the three vertical dots.
- Click on 'Spam and blocked'.
- We activate 'Enable spam protection'.
In addition to this native filter, it's advisable to check if your manufacturer has added their own anti-spam options For SMS and calls, these settings are found within the system or the pre-installed messaging app. In many cases, phones from well-known brands already include blacklists, keyword blocking, or reporting systems integrated into the interface.
If we are not using the Google app by choice or because we do not have it installed, We're going to recommend a couple of apps Its function is precisely to filter incoming SMS messages and block anything that is junk or contains information that could harm us. Yes, they block spam and fraud attempts.
- Key messages: The first app we recommend is Key Messages. With this app, we can integrate a automated security filter It will handle spam and also has a blacklist that you can create with each number that manages to bypass its filters. It works as its own SMS manager, so it directly manages your entire inbox.
- Call and SMS Blocker: Another highly recommended app that not only filters spam messages but also calls. Similar to Key Messages, in Call and SMS blocker We also have automatic filtering and the ability to create our own list of blocked numbers, integrating the management of unwanted communications into a single tool.
Say goodbye to spam messages on your iPhone
Let's begin with the process for avoiding spam messages on your iPhone. This process was greatly simplified when Apple introduced a built-in spam blocker. This blocker is as simple as the system filtering all incoming spam messages. phone numbers that are not in your contactsseparating them into a different tab.
In other words, adding a number to your contacts means you know that person. Or at least, that you authorize them to contact you freely, as far as the system is concerned. Therefore, blocking spam on iOS involves instructing the system to apply this filter, and The process is fairly simple.
We need to go to the adjustments from the system, and from there locate the app MessagesOnce inside, we locate the option 'Filter unknowns' And that's it. Any SMS message we receive from a number not in our contacts will be automatically stored in the spam folder. Here's a summary:
- We go to the system's 'Settings'.
- We located the 'Messages' app.
- We activated 'Filter unknowns'.
We may also find that what we are looking for is block messages from a known senderthat we don't want to delete from our contacts. To do this, we'll have to open the corresponding message and once inside, tap on 'Report as spam' and then on 'Delete and report as spam'. As easy as that, user blocked.
- We open the message from the person who is bothering us.
- We click on 'Report as spam'.
- We click on 'Delete and report as unwanted'.
Types of spam SMS messages and why it's a good idea to filter them
Spam or phishing SMS messages are becoming increasingly common. These are messages with unwanted content that, in the best-case scenario, include an advertising link to access a store's website or something similar. In the worst-case scenario, they impersonate a company or official entity. economic purposes and/or data theft.
Often it's easy to spot spam SMS messages by their wording or content, but that doesn't stop them from being annoying to receive. That's why in this post we've outlined all the options available to you. Avoid receiving these types of messages on your mobile phoneThis can be done by using the device's own settings and third-party tools.
As we mentioned earlier, SMS messages classified as spam or unwanted can be of different types. The first to appear, and which remain the most common, are the commercial messages These are the ones that tell you about a promotion or the launch of a product or service. At first glance, they seem to pose the least risk, as they are purely informational and, at most, include a link to their website for you to find out more.
El origin of these advertising SMS messages It's also consensual. And yes, you might not remember how or when you consented to receiving advertising via SMS, but that's where those lengthy terms and conditions we accept when registering on websites (and rarely read) come in. The best course of action here is to contact the sender to find out how to unsubscribe.
The other type of unwanted SMS messages we find is increasingly on the rise and they can be dangerousWe're referring to those who use phishing techniques, which basically consist of impersonating a well-known company or government entity. Many times they're obvious fakes because of their writing style, while other times they're so sophisticated that Even your mobile phone can detect them as legitimate and categorize them with the name of the company they are impersonating.
Its content normally They add a link which redirects to a supposed official company website, and this is where the risk lies. As with the message content, the website itself can be obviously fake, but sometimes it's very well done. Checking the URL and seeing if it matches the official website is a good way to avoid falling into the trap.
And what are they trying to achieve with these types of SMS messages? Basically StealIn the "best" case scenario, they simply want your data to then market it. In other cases, they want install malware on your mobile phone with which to extract all your information. Although if there is one common goal, it is to get your moneyeither through direct payments or by asking you to enter your card details on that suspicious website.
We can find many examples, such as the one supposedly sent by the postal service alerting you that you've received a package but must pay a fee to collect it. There are also those that impersonate other transport companies and even your bank. In all of these cases, having properly configured antispam filters In Android Messages, Google Phone, or specialized apps, exposure to these threats is significantly reduced.
Leveraging Android Messages' spam filter, combining it with Google Phone's caller ID and spam protection, and, if necessary, relying on external apps or native iOS options, is a very comprehensive strategy for keeping spam under control. invasive advertising such as the most dangerous phishing attempts on your mobile phone.