Bharti Airtel says Google routes RCS traffic through its spam filters

Bharti Airtel said Rahul Vatts disclosed that Google now routes all Rich Communication Services (RCS) traffic through Airtel’s spam filters, according to comments reported on April 11, 2025. He said Airtel uses the signals it generates to screen RCS messages and that the arrangement is intended to protect Airtel subscribers on its mobile networks and on over-the-top (OTT) messaging platforms.

Rahul Vatts said, “all the RCS traffic now flows to the Airtel spam filters” and that Google passes RCS messages through those filters. The source did not provide technical implementation details, message volumes, launch dates for the integration, or any country beyond India. The source also did not specify whether the filtering applies to all Google Messages users or specifically to Airtel subscribers.

The comments show Bharti Airtel extending anti-spam controls beyond traditional telecom traffic into OTT messaging channels. RCS is a messaging standard used by mobile operators and internet platforms as an upgrade to SMS, and Google is a major RCS platform provider through Google Messages. The reported partnership reflects how operators and platform companies are working together on spam detection as messaging shifts from SMS to app-based and IP-based channels.