Google Voice now protects you from spam text messages

There are a ton of Google services out there. Google Voice is one that seems to be overlooked, both by customers and by Google itself. For the first time in a while, the company is pushing a new update to this app. According to 9To5Google, Google Voice will start telling you about spam text messages.

Google Voice might seem pretty redundant because of the other communication platforms that it already has. It’s a communications suite that allows you to make voice calls and send/receive text messages. This is different from Google Messages and the Phone app, however. When you set up Google Voice, you’ll be given a phone number that’s different from the one you have with your carrier. It’s almost like a “burner phone” account, but you do need a valid phone number to set up your account.

Google Voice will warn you about spam messages

Spam calls and messages are a major issue in this day and age. People get calls multiple times every day from random numbers, and it drives users wild. Carriers and phone OEMs alike have been battling the onslaught of spam calls that their users have to deal with.

Google Voice lets you know when you’re getting a call from a spam number, but spammers don’t only call. A fair amount of the time, scams are spread through text messages. These messages usually contain links to malicious sites or fool you into entering sensitive information.

This is an issue that Google Voice is combatting, as it’s possible to receive spam messages on that platform. If you get a message that raises any red flags, the message will be displayed with a red exclamation mark in place of the profile picture. Under the number, you’ll see red text saying “Suspected spam”. When you tap on the message, you’ll have the option to allow that message or mark it as spam. If you allow that message, then future messages from that number will not be flagged.

This protection feature is coming to both the free and paid tiers for Google Voice. If you don’t see it just yet, then you might want to wait a bit for it to make it to you. You might also want to update the app on your phone.