Digital Safety: Google Messages Now Blurs Explicit Images 🔒

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Google is stepping up its messaging app’s security with a new feature that automatically blurs sensitive images. Tested over the past few months, this update is primarily designed to protect minors from exposure to inappropriate content.

A Feature Inspired by iMessage 📱

With this update, Google Messages catches up to Apple’s iMessage, which already offers a similar feature. The concept is straightforward: when a photo containing nudity is detected in a sent, received, or forwarded message, it gets blurred by default.

The recipient then sees a warning screen with options to open the image, block the sender, return to the chat, or access educational resources on the risks of sharing explicit content.

Google emphasizes that image analysis happens directly on the device through its SafetyCore service, built into Android 9 and later versions. This means the company’s servers don’t receive the photos, offering stronger privacy protection — though the system isn’t foolproof. Google admits some images may be blurred by mistake, while others might slip through undetected.

Default for Minors, Optional for Adults 👨‍👩‍👧

For minors, the feature is automatically enabled and cannot be turned off as long as their account is supervised. For adults, it’s optional and can be manually activated in Google Messages settings. In both cases, a Google account is required.

Beyond shielding younger users, the system also gives adults more control over the types of messages they receive.

This move reflects Google’s attempt to balance technological innovation with social responsibility while adapting to growing demands for digital safety.

Key Takeaways:

• Available only for users signed in with a Google account.
• Automatically enabled for supervised accounts and teens (ages 13–17). Adults need to turn it on manually.
• To activate: Messages > Profile > Settings > Protection & Security > Manage Warnings.
• The algorithm automatically blurs nude photos, giving users the option to:
  • view or ignore the image,
  • block the sender,
  • access safety tips.
• When sending or forwarding, a warning lets you confirm, cancel, or block.
• Limitation: currently works only with photos, not videos.

👉🏾 Do you see this automatic blurring as real protection, or an unnecessary limit on digital freedom?

Sources : Google, 01Net, France Mobiles