Recently, the integrity of Google Messages privacy was questioned due to fears of location sharing. Users of the app were reportedly seeing warnings that the messaging app was sharing their location data with third-party apps. However, Google is now clearing the air and assuring the messaging app users that their location data is not accessible by third-party apps.
Originally, the cause of the Google Messages app location-sharing concern was the latest Android 14 update. This update brought a new data-sharing notification to users of Android 14 devices around the world. The feature in question is the ‘data sharing update for location’, which alerts users of apps sharing their location data with third-party apps.
After the Android 14 update, most users started getting notifications that the Google Messages app shares their location with other apps. This report or notification is a result of changes to the Google Play Data Safety section (available on Android 14 devices) for developers. The Google Messages app development team are responsible for turning on the developer option to notify users that the messaging app is sharing their location data.
So the app wasn’t sharing users’ location with third-party apps. In the Data safety section of the Play Store, it’s clear that Google Messages doesn’t share data with third-party apps. This goes to assure users of the Google Messages privacy commitment, evading any fear of their location data getting into the wrong hands.
If you also noticed this issue on your Google Messages app, then you can be sure that your data is safe. The issue that led to you getting the location-sharing notification on your Android 14 device is no more. Google promises to continue its path of ensuring that user data is safe at all times.