Google Chat has been updated to warn users before they click on suspicious links.
The company says that users will “see banners warning against potential phishing and malware messages coming from users with personal Google Accounts” moving forward. (It’s not clear if links from hackers using professional accounts will be subject to the same level of scrutiny.)
Google says the feature will “help protect users against malicious actors, keeping data safe,” and notes that similar banners have been displayed to Gmail and Google Drive users for a while. Now malicious links shared via the more casual Google Chat will also be flagged.
The company also says that “warning banners are also displayed as you add new external recipients” on Android, similar to the warning shown when Gmail users attempt to message people from outside their organization, but admins can disable these banners if they desire.
Google says the warning banners in Google Chat will roll out to all Google Workspace customers, people with personal Google Accounts, and legacy G Suite customers. The feature started rolling out on May 19; it should reach all users by June 3.