Indian customers of Google Messages are dealing with a deluge of adverts inside Android’s default messaging app, 9to5Google experiences. Customers are reporting being despatched multiple ads a day, even when they permit the app’s Spam Safety function, and blocking and reporting the offending accounts doesn’t seem to stop adverts from completely different firms showing. Most of the worst offenders seem like adverts for private loans, playing firms, and life insurance coverage.
As 9to5Google notes, firms seem like abusing an RCS function designed to let companies contact their clients with wealthy, interactive media. Instance’s listed on Google’s web site embrace sending clients QR-code tickets, or letting them make on-line orders. As an alternative, some accounts that Google identifies as “Verified Enterprise” are sending customers in India a barrage of adverts.
It’s unclear how widespread the problem presently is, however Indian-based Ishan Agarwal — whose current tweets have drawn consideration to the problem — tells The Verge that for him the issue has been rising worse over the course of 2022, and that he receives a mean of between two and 5 adverts a day now. Android Police experiences that the issue has been round for a couple of 12 months, and complaints seem like coming overwhelmingly from customers primarily based in India.
Though blocking and reporting accounts prevents particular firms from persevering with to ship you spam, Android Police experiences that the one method to cease receiving adverts solely is to disable Messages’ assist for RCS (beneath “chat options” in settings). It’s a reasonably damning measure to should take contemplating how laborious Google has been pushing RCS as a successor to SMS and MMS.
Google didn’t reply to The Verge’s request for remark.
