WhatsApp users warned Google is reading their messages by default
New updates to Google's Gemini AI technology on Android phones has raised major privacy concerns among users, as WhatsApp chatters have been warned that the tech giant could be reading your messages.
Outside of the ease of use and widespread adoption, one of the main reasons why billions across the globe opt to message their friends and family on WhatsApp is the security that the app provides.
It boasts end-to-end encryption to ensure that you're the only one reading what you're sending others, and while 99% of people don't have anything they wouldn't want others to read, it's still great for peace of mind - hence why so many are interested in Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey's new messaging project too.
Google's latest AI implementation on Android devices does appear to threaten that sense of privacy though, as Gemini now seemingly has the capacity to access your messages, even if you've got it turned off.
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Can Google read your WhatsApp messages?
Unfortunately the answer to whether Google is able to access and read your messages on WhatsApp is unfortunately a bit of both, as while in principle the tech giant isn't allowed to peruse through your chats, experts argue that the potential is there in the future.
As reported by the Metro, Google continues to stress that Gemini, its AI chatbot software, cannot directly read your messages on WhatsApp or any images that you send, but it has issued a warning to anyone who might want to keep their data or personal information protected.
This is all thanks to a new update, which allows Gemini to access third-party applications on Android devices, meaning that you can directly ask the chatbot to send a WhatsApp message to a contact, for example.
The functionality on display here is enabled by default even if you have previously turned off tracking for Gemini Apps Activity, leading Google to warn about the following:
"Please don't enter confidential information in your conversations or any data you wouldn't want a reviewer to see or Google to use to improve our products, services, and machine-learning technologies."
In essence, Google employs 'human reviewers' to access and analyze any conversations that users have with the AI chatbot, so if you're dictating messages to your friends that you'd rather keep private then there's a chance that they might be read by someone else.
However, right now there is no indication that Google can use Gemini to look directly into your WhatsApp conversations and read your messages, but experts have still expressed their worried.
Business advisor Daniel Frech of Businessmagnet has outlined that "the issue isn't just whether Gemini can read your messages, it's that it could, unless users proactively opt out. That flips the principle of informed consent on its head."
This isn't the first time in recent memory that AI integration has caused a stir in the WhatsApp community, as the app's new inbuilt LLM support has raised concerns that everything you send is being read by a chatbot.
Can you turn off Gemini on Android?
Thankfully you can disable Gemini on your Android phone in order to avoid any risks that might come as a consequence of this new update, although it does take quite a few different steps to complete.
First you'll want to disable the Gemini app, which can be done by heading to the 'Settings' menu, then to 'Apps', where you can then select 'Gemini' and disable it.
Once you've done that, head into the Gemini app directly and select the 'Profile' option. From here, navigate to 'Apps' and disable every single app extension.
Finally, head back into the 'Profile' section of the Gemini app and find the 'Gemini Apps Activity' section. Scroll down until you reach the option to turn this off, and from here on out you'll be good to go and remain AI-free on your device.