Google Messages is introducing a new feature that makes it simpler for users to opt-out of automated text messages. This change aims to benefit individuals who are overwhelmed by marketing, promotional, or informational SMS sent by companies, nonprofits, political groups, and similar entities. The unsubscribe link will be located at the end of specific automated communications. reported by Android Authority.
If users click the 'Unsubscribe' button, they'll see a list of choices including 'Not subscribed,' 'Excessive emails,' 'No longer interested,' 'Spam,' or 'Other.' Should they select the 'Spam' option, an additional box will show up allowing them to flag the sender.
Selecting "Other" reveals a textbox allowing users to detail why they chose to unsubscribe. Upon sending the "STOP" instruction, a verification message pops up, offering an opportunity for users to opt back in by clicking on a "START" button.
This update affects automated messages originating from short codes—typically 5- or 6-digit numbers frequently utilized for sending large volumes of text—as well as RCS Business Messages (RBM). Nonetheless, the back-end functionality for RBM isn’t completely ready, so this feature might not be operational for RCS conversations at present. According to Google, they're progressively rolling out this change initially to beta testers across various nations such as India, the U.S., Brazil, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain, and the UK.
Companies should adhere tounsubscribe requests after the system becomes fully functional. Should they be unable to handle these requests directly through the conversation thread, they have to provide a link for users to adjust their subscription settings. An added advantage of this change is that communications such as single-use passcodes and specific service alerts remain unaffected by this modification.
This modification is presently restricted to Google Messages and won’t be visible in alternate messaging applications for Android devices. Those participating in the beta testing may have already spotted this feature within their application.