Google Voice adds spam text warnings on Android, iOS

Google Voice has introduced a new feature that is similar to the “suspected spam caller warnings,” but this time for SMS messages. On both Android and iOS devices, users will now be alerted of suspected spam messages with a red exclamation sign appearing in the profile avatar spot. The message preview will also include the phrase “Suspected spam” in a matching colour for easy identification. Users will see these labels within the message, and they can either –“confirm a suspected spam message, which causes future messages from that number to go directly into the spam folder or mark a labelled message as not spam, after which the suspected spam label is never displayed for that number again”.

These spam text protections will be available for both free and paid Google Voice accounts (Starter, Standard, and Premier). It is currently being rolled out and will be widely available in the coming weeks, according to the company.

“If you’re using Google Voice, you’re familiar with our suspected spam caller warnings. We’re extending this feature to SMS messages on Android and iOS devices,” Google said in a blog post.

Meanwhile, Google has started to roll out an artificial intelligence (AI)–powered “Proofread” feature in Gborad for beta users. The “Proofread” option appears in the keyboard’s toolbar with Gboard version 13.4, which is currently in beta on Android, allowing users to have their text checked for spelling or grammar errors on the fly, all powered by generative AI, reports 9to5Google. The feature appeared on our Pixel Fold as a “Fix it” prompt with Google’s usual generative AI symbol. A pop-up then explains how proofreading works, with text being sent to Google for processing if you enable the feature.

The new features in Google apps are coming ahead of the Pixel 8 series launch. Google is holding an event on October 4 to launch the new hardware lineup, but it has mostly revealed everything about the upcoming Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. Leaving almost nothing to the imagination, Google has not only confirmed the design of the Pixel 8 series, but it also has revealed that the pre-orders will open on October 5 in India. Besides the Pixel series, Google is also launching the Pixel Watch 2 next month.

— Written with inputs from IANS