- Key Verifier, a feature meant to confirm messages are coming from the person you think they are, is now live in Google Messages.
- The tool generates per-device QR codes that you and your contacts can scan to verify unique device keys.
- Google also mentions that links in texts marked as spam are now automatically blocked.
Scams are everywhere in digital life, from phishing emails to “wrong number” texts to voicemails about nonexistent large purchases supposedly charged to your credit card. Ideally, you should be looking critically at any communication from sources you’re not familiar with, but scammers are getting sophisticated, and a little help spotting a suspicious message can go a long way. Today, Google’s highlighting a couple of recent Messages features that should help keep you (and your less savvy family members) out of hot water.
The more interesting anti-scam feature Google is calling attention to is Key Verifier. Initially announced last year and further detailed in May, Key Verifier adds an extra layer of security that helps ensure messages are actually coming from the person you think they are, rather than a bad actor who may have gained access to their phone number. Built on the Android System Key Verifier utility that appeared last year, Key Verifier assigns each Android device a unique key, which can be verified by scanning a QR code.