In an anticipated move, Google has introduced the beta version of Magic Compose, a new feature for its Messages app that leverages AI to aid in writing text messages. However, this exciting addition comes with a significant caveat. Android Police has brought to light that Magic Compose will send up to “20 previous messages” to Google’s servers, even when using RCS with end-to-end encryption (E2EE).
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The conditions surrounding Magic Compose are outlined on Google’s support page, clarifying that the feature transmits these messages, including emojis, reactions, and URLs, to its servers to enable AI-driven suggestions. The company assures users that it will not forward any messages containing attachments, voice messages, or images. However, it mentions that image captions and voice transcriptions might be sent.
Google implemented end-to-end encryption on its app in 2020 and extended it to group chats last year. Activating E2EE ensures that not even Google can access users’ messages. Despite using Magic Compose alongside E2EE, Google maintains that it cannot read the messages.
Google spokesperson Justin Rende clarified to The Verge that the “conversation data used by Magic Compose is not retained” and that “suggested response outputs are not retained once they’ve been provided to the user.” Furthermore, when users disable Magic Compose, Google will no longer transmit their messages to its servers.
Magic Compose is just one of the many AI-powered features showcased by Google during its I/O event earlier this month. This feature enables users to respond to text messages using stylized, context-based suggested responses. It is currently being rolled out to users participating in the Google Messages beta program.
Once the feature becomes available, users will notice a chat bubble next to the app’s message composer. They can choose a suggested response and further customize the text using preset styles such as “chill,” “excited,” or “Shakespeare.” Presently, Magic Compose appears to be limited to RCS messages, and there is no information on when it will support SMS/MMS.
In a similar move, Microsoft introduced a comparable feature in its keyboard app, SwiftKey. This functionality enables users to compose text messages and emails, modify the tone, format, and length of suggested messages, and even includes a Bing icon within the app’s toolbar.
While Magic Compose presents an exciting development for Google Messages users, concerns about privacy and the transmission of messages to Google’s servers have been raised. Users should weigh the convenience of AI assistance against their privacy preferences before deciding to utilize this feature.