Google Messages is making it easier to unsubscribe from automated text messages

Businesses, charities, political campaigns, and other organizations send millions of automated text messages every day for marketing, promotional, or informational reasons, and many of those texts end up in the inboxes of unwilling recipients. Most organizations allow users to opt out of these text messages by replying with ‘STOP,’ but many users may not be aware of this, especially if the automated message doesn’t explicitly mention it. Google Messages is rolling out a new feature that helps inform users that they can unsubscribe from automated text messages.

While I was using the Google Messages app the other day, I spotted some new text at the bottom of the screen that asked me if I wanted to “unsubscribe to stop receiving messages.” Tapping “Unsubscribe” launched a sheet asking why I wanted to unsubscribe. The sheet presented five options: “Not signed up,” “Too many messages,” “No longer interested,” “Spam,” or “Other.” Selecting the “Spam” option caused a tick box to appear with the additional option to report the sender when unsubscribing, whereas selecting the “Other” option made a text box appear where I could specify exactly why I was unsubscribing. This feature replaced the existing Block & report spam button at the bottom of chats for me, though the latter was still accessible from within the chat’s menu.

After sending the “STOP” command, an “Unsubscribe request sent” message appeared underneath the message. Then, a “START” button appeared in the bottom right that I could tap to resubscribe to automated texts from the sender.

I spotted the Unsubscribe option at the bottom of automated text messages sent from short codes, i.e. the 5- or 6-digit phone numbers typically used by businesses for high-volume messaging. When we first revealed this feature in an APK teardown, though, we reported that it would also appear in RCS Business Messages (RBM). I don’t engage with many businesses using RBM, so I can’t personally confirm the Unsubscribe option is available for RCS chats. However, Google has confirmed that this feature is available for RBM and that it’s gradually rolling out to users enrolled in the beta program for Google Messages. The feature is available for RBM messages in the U.S., Brazil, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom. It’s also available for A2P (Application-to-Person) SMS or MMS messages in the U.S. from short codes and alphanumeric senders.

Although the feature is rolling out in the Google Messages app, Google says that backend support for unsubscribing and resubscribing isn’t available yet for RBM, hence the feature won’t work yet with RCS chats. Google is making the feature and documentation available for beta users today so businesses can prepare for the full release in a future update. Once businesses add support, they’re expected to comply with the user’s request to unsubscribe, but if they can’t do so within the message thread, they must send a link to where the user can manage the subscription. “Essential” messages like one-time passwords and notifications about specific services the user has opted into are still permitted, but all “non-essential” messages are prohibited from being sent after the user unsubscribes.

Since this feature is gradually rolling out, you may not see it yet in the Google Messages app. If you do see it, let us know in the comments below! Keep in mind that if you use an alternative texting app for Android, you won’t see this option, as it’s built into Google’s app.