Google has started rolling out a new feature to its Android Messages application called Verified SMS that ensures users can confirm the true identity of the business that’s texting them.
This feature will help better protect users from possible phishing scams received via SMS. Along with this, the company is also rolling out better Spam protection for Messages.
Messages will verify on a per-message basis that the SMS the user received is sent by a specific business. Once verified the business name and logo as well as a verification badge will be visible in the message thread.
Google is promising that this verification is done on device without sending any information to its servers. In India, Google Pay and verification messages from Google are enrolled in this program with more businesses joining every day.
In the United States, companies like 1-800-Flowers, Banco Bradesco, Kayak, Payback, and SoFi are among the first brands to send messages with Verified SMS.
Along with this, the company has announced that it is also updating its spam protection to work in real time. Users will be notified of suspected spam messages and will be given the option to report it as spam and block the conversation.
The search engine giant has revealed that Verified SMS feature is being rolled out to 9 countries today including U.S., India, Mexico, Brazil, the U.K., France, Philippines, Spain and Canada with more to come.
