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Google Messages improving auto-categorization by asking for SMS ‘donations’ from selected users

To help improve the auto-categorization of SMS and RCS messages, Google Messages is now asking selected users for SMS “donations.”

Auto-grouping categories have been rolling out for Google Messages for a little while at this stage, with the feature letting you choose between “Personal” and “Business” alongside an “All” messages tab. This makes it slightly easier to sift through all of your SMS and RCS content without needing to delete individual threads or messages. Google Messages does this by identifying the sender information and message content to determine just which category correspondence should fall into.

Android Police reports that selected Google Messages users are now being asked for SMS “donations” to help improve the AI algorithms and ensure that the right categories are chosen for incoming content. This is entirely optional and if chosen to participate, you’ll see a banner at the top of the Google Messages app to help “your app sort better with message donations to Google.” This banner also states that your “identity stays private and you can remove any message content” before it is then used to help Google AI models.

Google Messages SMS donation pop-up which reads: "Help your app sort better with messages donations to Google"
"Your identity stays private and you can remove any message content"
image: Android Police

Should you opt-in, a further SMS picker allows you to decide just what messages you’ve received will be sent on to Google with the ability to edit the content and then submit in bulk. Google is automatically blanking or obscuring any telephone numbers, dates, times, and links, and removes any attached media too. It also appears that you can fully edit messages if you wish, which allows you to remove anything that you deem inappropriate or personal.

It appears that only a very limited volume of Google Messages users are being asked for SMS donations with very few reports available. Luckily, it is completely optional a public request such as this might help improve the already impressive auto-category selection built into the RCS/SMS client.

Let us know down in the comments section if you’ve been asked to “donate” your SMS messages to help improve Google Messages.

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Avatar for Damien Wilde Damien Wilde

Damien is a UK-based video producer for 9to5Google. Find him on Twitter: @iamdamienwilde. Email: damien@9to5mac.com


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