Google looks to tackle longstanding RCS spam in India — but not alone

Google Partners with Airtel to Combat Spam in RCS Messaging Platform in India

Google is facing persistent spam complaints in its Rich Communication Services (RCS) push in India, prompting the tech giant to collaborate with Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator, to enhance protections on the platform. With over 463 million subscribers, Airtel has integrated its network-level spam filtering into the RCS ecosystem to mitigate unwanted messages and fraud.

India has become a challenging market for spam and fraud in messaging channels, driven by the country’s vast mobile user base, rapid digital payments growth, and aggressive enterprise marketing practices. In response to complaints about unsolicited ads on Google’s RCS in 2022, the company temporarily halted business promotions in India. Despite this, users continue to report frustration with spam messages on Google Messages, indicating that the issue persists.

Airtel’s cautious approach to aligning with Google’s RCS platform until traffic could be routed through its spam controls underscores carrier concerns about increasing fraud risks. The partnership between Airtel and Google enables real-time checks on business messaging, including sender verification, spam detection, and enforcement of users’ do-not-disturb preferences.

According to Sameer Samat, president of Android ecosystem at Google, the collaboration aims to create a consistent and trusted messaging experience for RCS users worldwide. The integration of Airtel’s network intelligence with Google’s RCS platform is described as a “global first” in directly integrating a telecom operator’s spam filtering into an over-the-top messaging platform.

With India being a crucial market for Google’s messaging aspirations, the partnership with Airtel reflects efforts to address weaknesses in rich messaging ecosystems susceptible to spam and fraud. Prabhu Ram, vice president for industry research at CyberMedia Research, emphasizes that the success of this collaboration should be measured by reductions in spam volume, user complaints, fraud incidence, and improved engagement with legitimate messages.

Over the past year, Airtel has intensified its anti-spam efforts, leveraging AI-led systems to block billions of spam calls and messages, resulting in a significant decrease in fraud-related financial losses on its network. Meanwhile, Google sees RCS as the next-gen messaging standard, surpassing a billion messages daily in the U.S. as of May 2025.

While Google has not disclosed plans for similar carrier integrations in other markets, the partnership with Airtel sets a precedent for combating spam and fraud in messaging platforms. This collaboration signifies a step towards a more secure and reliable messaging experience for users in India and potentially beyond.