As per an article on TheVerge Indian users of Google Messages are facing a deluge of ads within Android’s default messaging app, 9to5Google reports. Users are reporting being sent multiple ads a day, even if they enable the app’s Spam Protection feature, and blocking and reporting the offending accounts doesn’t appear to prevent ads from different companies appearing. Many of the worst offenders appear to be ads for personal loans, gambling companies, and life insurance.
As 9to5Google notes, companies appear to be abusing an RCS feature designed to let businesses contact their customers with rich, interactive media. Example’s listed on Google’s site include sending customers QR-code tickets, or letting them make online orders. Instead, some accounts that Google identifies as “Verified Business” are sending users in India a barrage of ads.
If you’re wondering just how bad the ads in Google Messages can get, I got all these in just the last 7 hours. Amazing.
— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) May 17, 2022
No normal consumer should have to face this on a basic & necessary phone app.@lockheimer, is this what RCS & Chat features are meant to be? https://t.co/a2i7H6xRYW pic.twitter.com/KqxFATDwwG
Only way to stop receiving ads entirely is to disable Messages’ support for RCS (under “chat features” in settings). It’s a pretty damning measure to have to take considering how hard Google has been pushing RCS as a successor to SMS and MMS.
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