Google looks to tackle longstanding RCS spam in India — but not alone
Source: TechCrunch
Google partners with Airtel to integrate spam filtering into RCS in India
Persistent spam complaints have clouded Google’s Rich Communication Services (RCS) push in India. To bolster protections, Google is turning to deeper carrier integration with Bharti Airtel, India’s second‑largest telecom operator (over 463 million subscribers).
Airtel will integrate its network‑level spam filtering into the RCS ecosystem, enabling real‑time checks on business messaging, including sender verification, spam detection, and enforcement of users’ do‑not‑disturb preferences. The companies describe the move as a “global first” for embedding a telecom operator’s spam filter directly into an over‑the‑top messaging platform.
“We had not onboarded Google because we first wanted RCS messages to be routed through the Airtel spam filter,” said an Airtel spokesperson.
“We are committed to continuing to work with the broader ecosystem of carriers to create a consistent and trusted messaging experience for RCS users around the world,” said Sameer Samat, president of Android ecosystem at Google.
Background
India has emerged as a particularly challenging market for spam and fraud across messaging channels, driven by a vast mobile user base, rapid growth in digital payments, and aggressive enterprise marketing practices.
- In 2022, complaints about unsolicited ads on Google’s RCS (delivered primarily through the Google Messages app) prompted the company to temporarily pause business promotions in India.
- Users continue to report frustration with spam messages on Google Messages, indicating the issue has not fully abated.
Sources:
- Truecaller report on India’s spam shield
- TechCrunch: Google disables RCS ads in India (June 2022)
- User reports on X
Market significance
India represents a critical market for Google’s messaging ambitions, with:
- More than a billion internet users
- Over 700 million smartphone users
- Over 853 million WhatsApp users (World Population Review)
These figures underscore the scale of competition in mobile messaging.
Industry perspective
Prabhu Ram, vice president for the industry research group at CyberMedia Research, said the deeper carrier integration reflects efforts to plug longstanding weaknesses in rich messaging ecosystems that have been vulnerable to spam and fraud.
“The efficacy of this partnership should be reflected in metrics such as reductions in spam volume, user complaints, and fraud incidence, as well as improvements in engagement with legitimate messages,” Ram told TechCrunch.
Airtel’s anti‑spam efforts
Airtel has been stepping up its anti‑spam initiatives, reporting that its AI‑led systems have blocked:
- More than 71 billion spam calls
- 2.9 billion spam messages
These actions have helped drive a nearly 69 % drop in fraud‑related financial losses on its network.
Source: TechCrunch: Airtel taps AI to combat spam calls (Sept 2024)
Google’s RCS ambitions
Google positions RCS as the successor to SMS. In May 2025, the company reported that the standard was handling more than a billion messages daily in the U.S., based on a 28‑day average.
Source: TechCrunch: Google announces 1 billion RCS messages sent daily in the U.S. (May 2025)
Google has not disclosed whether similar carrier integrations are planned for other markets or provided estimates for how much the India partnership could reduce spam and fraud.