Google Messages is rolling out new spam-fighting tools built specifically for RCS, the messaging protocol that has gradually replaced SMS as the default on Android. Users in the app’s Open Beta can now unsubscribe from business senders with a single tap and report RCS spam through a streamlined flow that feeds data back to Google’s detection systems. The update arrives as the Federal Trade Commission reports that Americans lost $470 million to text message scams in 2024, a figure that underscores how much ground platforms still need to cover.
How the new unsubscribe button works
The centerpiece of the update is a one-tap unsubscribe option that appears inside business message threads. When a user selects it, Google Messages automatically sends a “STOP” reply to the sender from the user’s own number, opting them out of future messages without requiring them to type anything or navigate away from the conversation. Google’s support page describes the feature as part of the RCS business messaging framework, and it is separate from the app’s existing spam-reporting tool, which handles messages from unknown or suspicious numbers rather than recognized business accounts.
The distinction matters. Legitimate businesses that send appointment reminders, shipping updates, or verification codes through RCS now have a clear, standardized off-ramp for users who no longer want those messages. Previously, opting out often meant replying manually with “STOP” or hunting for small-print instructions buried at the bottom of a message, steps that many people simply skipped.
Upgraded spam reporting with RCS-level detail
Google has also tightened the spam-reporting pipeline for RCS conversations. When a user flags a message as spam, the app blocks the sender, moves the thread to a spam or blocked folder, and transmits the sender’s phone number along with recent message content to Google. For RCS messages specifically, reports can include protocol-level identifiers that give Google a more precise signal to trace abuse across its messaging infrastructure and to separate legitimate high-volume business traffic from malicious campaigns.
That granularity is a meaningful step up from traditional SMS spam reports, which typically carry less metadata. In theory, richer signals should help Google’s detection models catch new scam patterns faster and reduce the number of fraudulent messages that reach users in the first place. In practice, though, neither Google nor any independent research body has published data showing how RCS spam reports compare with SMS reports in terms of detection accuracy or response time.
A webhook gap that could slow things down for businesses
On the developer side, Google’s RCS Business Messaging developer documentation confirms that the unsubscribe and subscribe controls are live in the Open Beta. But it also flags a limitation: webhook events tied to these controls may not yet be available for all partners. That means some businesses could face a delay before their automated systems detect when a user opts out.
The practical risk is straightforward. If a company’s subscriber management platform cannot process an unsubscribe event in real time, it may keep sending messages to someone who has already tapped the opt-out button. That could trigger additional spam reports, erode user trust, and damage the sender reputation scores that carriers use to throttle or block abusive traffic. Google acknowledges the gap but has not said when full webhook support will be available across all partners.
The scale of the problem these tools are trying to solve
The FTC’s April 2025 data release puts the text scam landscape in sharp focus. The agency stated that the $470 million in losses reported for 2024 spans all messaging protocols, not just RCS, and that the top schemes include fake package delivery alerts, bogus bank security warnings, and impersonation of government agencies. “If you get an unexpected text message, don’t click on any links,” the FTC advises in its consumer guidance. The commission recommends that anyone who receives a suspicious text forward it to 7726 (SPAM) or file a report through its online fraud-reporting portal.
The Federal Communications Commission maintains a separate complaints page for unwanted calls and texts, and many of its enforcement actions are shaped by the volume and nature of those consumer filings. Easier in-app reporting tools like the ones Google is shipping could, over time, increase both the quantity and quality of complaints that regulators receive, giving investigators sharper data to work with. But no agency has projected how much additional reporting it expects from RCS-specific controls, and Google has not disclosed how many spam reports it forwards to regulators or how often those reports lead to account suspensions.
What is still missing
Google has not published a press release or executive statement announcing a timeline for moving these controls from Open Beta to general availability. The company has previously said that RCS on Google Messages has surpassed one billion monthly active users globally, but there are no public adoption figures showing how many of those users have accessed the new unsubscribe button, and no independent benchmark measuring whether RCS-specific spam reporting leads to fewer unwanted messages compared with the SMS reporting path that has existed for years.
Likewise, while RCS business messaging has attracted major brands and carriers, neither Google nor industry groups such as the GSMA have published traffic volume figures that would quantify how fast business-to-consumer RCS messaging is growing. Without that data, it is difficult to assess how large the spam surface area actually is or how urgently the webhook gaps need to be closed.
There is also a transparency question. Google says it uses spam reports to improve its detection models, which implies automated analysis of message content. Without a detailed transparency report, outside observers have limited visibility into how that analysis is governed, how long reported message data is retained, and how it is kept separate from advertising or other business functions.
Step-by-step: how to use the new controls and join the Open Beta
To access these features before they reach the stable release, users need to join the Google Messages Open Beta. Here is how:
- Open the Google Play Store on an Android device and search for “Google Messages.”
- Scroll down to the “Join the beta” section on the app’s listing page and tap “Join.” (If the beta is full, a waitlist option may appear instead.)
- Once enrolled, the Play Store will push the latest beta build as an update. Install it and open Google Messages.
After the beta version is running, the new RCS spam controls work as follows:
- Unsubscribe from a business sender: Open a conversation from a verified business. Look for the “Unsubscribe” option near the top of the thread or inside the three-dot menu. Tap it, and the app will automatically send a “STOP” message on your behalf.
- Report a message as spam: Open the suspicious conversation, tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner, and select “Report spam.” The app will block the sender, move the thread to your spam folder, and send the sender’s details and recent messages to Google.
- Forward scam texts to 7726: Outside Google Messages, you can forward any suspicious text to 7726 (SPAM), which routes the report to your wireless carrier for investigation.
- File a federal complaint: Visit the FTC’s fraud-reporting portal or the FCC’s complaints page to log the incident. These filings feed directly into regulatory enforcement pipelines.
Google has not announced a date for when these controls will graduate from the Open Beta to the stable channel. For now, enrolling in the beta is the only way to access them. Users who prefer to wait for the stable release can still report spam through the existing flow and forward suspicious texts to 7726 in the meantime.
Whether these tools meaningfully reduce the $470 million annual toll of text scams is a question that will take time, data, and independent scrutiny to answer. For now, they give Android users a faster way to fight back, one tap at a time.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
