Google's Magic Compose is available now, bringing generative AI to Messages

At Google I/O 2023, we heard tons of Googlers talking about generative AI and how it’s going to fundamentally change how you use tons of Google services. One of these features was for the Messages app. It will allow you to ask AI to create messages for you, saving you time and energy.

That feature — officially called Magic Compose — is rolling out now for select users. To give it a shot, you need to be a part of the Google Messages beta program and have a US-based SIM card. You can sign up for Google Messages beta at the link. Note that folks with Google One Premium subscriptions will get first dibs at access, and you must be 18 years or older to use it.

Interestingly, during the I/O keynote, Google said this feature would be landing in the summer. It is a month before the official start of the summer, so Google is delivering on its promise way early. However, it might be summer before this feature makes its way to the general public (i.e., out of beta).

Google has given Android Authority access to Magic Compose. However, it wasn’t live yet at the publishing time of this article, so we will have a separate article soon discussing our experience with the feature.

Interestingly, using this feature breaks end-to-end encryption for your messaging. Up to 20 of your messages are sent to Google’s servers so it can analyze them and make better suggestions. Google purges these messages when done with them and does not use your messages to train the Magic Compose feature. So if E2EE is vital to you, we’d advise you not to use Magic Compose for now.