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Google Messages Debuts On-Device Nude Image Blurring for Android Users

All classification runs locally on Android devices using System SafetyCore to preserve user privacy.

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New safety feature in Google Messages rolls out which detects and blurs explicit images

Overview

  • The feature has exited beta and is now rolling out to stable Google Messages users on Android, blurring still images flagged for nudity by default.
  • Processing and classification take place entirely on-device via Android System SafetyCore, ensuring no identifiable content or results are uploaded to Google servers.
  • Sensitive Content Warnings are non-disableable for supervised child accounts, optional but enabled for unsupervised teens aged 13–17, and off by default for adults who may opt in through settings.
  • When an image is blurred, users can delete it, block the sender, access a resource page on image safety, or confirm to view it, and any attempt to send or forward a nude image triggers a mandatory swipe-to-confirm prompt.
  • Detection is limited to still images and is not foolproof, with Google acknowledging occasional false positives and misses in identifying nudity.