Google Messages to bring two new features to Galaxy phones

After Samsung switched to Google Messages as the default messaging app on Galaxy phones and tablets, Google is adding more features to it. The app is getting a privacy feature now and will likely get a new feature that makes live location sharing possible.

Google announced last year that it was working on a feature that warns users about incoming insensitive messages and blurs incoming messages that contain explicit images. 9To5Google spotted that the feature has now started rolling out to users who installed the beta version of the app.

It is an opt-in feature for adults but it is turned on by default for kids and teenage users.

It offers users the ability to automatically delete images (before viewing) that may contain nudity. For supervised accounts, the feature can't be turned off but parents can control it via the Google Family Link app. For unsupervised teens (13 to 17 years), the feature can be turned off from Google Account settings.

Google Messages offers three options to users. They can learn why nude images can be harmful, block the number, view the image, or don't view the image.

Users can blur the image by tapping the ‘Remove Preview' button on the bottom right corner. It also reminds users the risk of sending nude imagery and preventing accidental shares before they send something that contains nudity.

Images aren't sent to Google's servers for classification. This feature, which works on-device and is powered by the Android System SafetyCore component, currently doesn't work for videos.

A report from Android Authority says that the code of the latest version (version messages.android_20250420_01_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic) of Google Messages contains information about live location sharing. Currently, you can share your current location with others via the Google Messages app. However, that location is static and isn't updated if you move to a different location.

The code contains the following string:

<string name="live_location_sharing_shortcut_title">Live Location Sharing</string>

This string shows that Google is working on the live location sharing feature. It could soon be released to Google Messages users on Android. Those devices include Galaxy phones and tablets.