Armed with RCS, Google Messages is the current face of the company's longstanding quest for a worthy messaging app. While the multipurpose SMS app now has the features to rival the likes of WhatsApp, it still fails in ane fundamental expanse — staying on top of mounting SMS spam. That's especially truthful when the sources are verified business accounts that take been hassling scores of Indian users lately with spammy in-chat advertisements within Google Messages.

While Google and ads unremarkably get hand in hand, the search giant has niggling part to play in this instance. Several pushy fiscal services brands have been exploiting their verified business privileges to spam users (or anyone whose number they have) with rich media ads in Google Letters over the last few months. Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bajaj Finserv, Buddy Loan, and PolicyBazaar accept turned out to be the biggest offenders.

Moreover, this isn't limited to Pixel or Android One users, as the Messages app now comes equally the default SMS app on many OEM phones. Some Samsung phone owners have too seen these ads in their preinstalled SMS app, leading u.s. to believe that the RCS protocol is being used to relay these ad banners.

Then, how do nosotros become rid of these spammy ads in Google Messages?

Turning off rich chats

A settings option in Google Messages chosen Conversation features is what enables the app'due south RCS capabilities. Simply turning it off will exist a fool-proof way to keep these pesky companies out of your SMS inbox for skillful. Within the app'south Settings menu, tap on General > Chat features and toggle the Enable chat features off. This should do the fob and your standard SMS services will keep to work as normal.

Turn off the toggle highlighted in the rightmost screenshot.

Since RCS messaging hasn't made slap-up strides compared to more universally accepted apps like WhatsApp in India, turning the characteristic off shouldn't be a big deal for about users. But if you've started to rely on the advanced conversation features, at that place are a couple of alternating solutions that you tin can effort instead.

Blocking/unsubscribing

Some of these companies take been courteous plenty to offer a straightforward mode to unsubscribe from these ads like you would with mailing lists. In the case of Kotak, yous'll be offered an in-chat option to take your phone number off its list. Merely if y'all don't come across the button, you can always block the senders from forwarding y'all any more crap.

To do that, tap on the business profile, and at that place you'll find Cake & report spam nether the Options tab. Select information technology and tap Ok.

Left & Center: Blocking a sender. Right: Push button to unsubscribe.

Neither of these methods is every bit reliable as the disabling RCS altogether since individually blocking businesses won't preclude others from sending more spam. Plus, you'll have to manually go through each of these senders to block them, which could take a while if you lot take many companies targeting yous. And with unsubscribing, there's still a risk that a company may decide non to laurels your request, leaving y'all in the lurch.

Switching SMS apps

I personally hadn't seen whatsoever of these ads — or any marketing SMS, for that matter — until some disgruntled users emailed usa about this spam practice. That'due south because I switched to Microsoft's much more capable SMS Organizer a few years ago and haven't looked dorsum since. The app automatically filters marketing and spam messages to a separate folder, for which I never get a notification — and all of this happens entirely offline. The app does lack RCS capabilities, but that works in its favor in this case.

It'due south getting harder past the day to keep your phone number prophylactic from invasive companies when every app you download requires your personal details to even permit y'all in. At least it's possible to go along these ads out of your inbox using 1 of these methods.

Thanks: Himanshu, Gurkanwal, Samarth, and Yash Raj

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