What you should know
- The Magic Compose feature was announced at the Google I/O 2023 conference and started rolling out in the US at the end of May 2023, with limitations such as being only available in English on Android phones with US SIM cards.
- Magic Compose is now gradually becoming available internationally. The feature creates AI-generated text messages, offering different style options for replies. It uses up to 20 previous messages to generate relevant, contextual suggestions, but does not store or use these messages to train machine learning models.
- Reports suggest that Magic Compose has now arrived in France and the UK. Users must be in the Play Store betas for Google Messages and Carrier Services, signed into their Google Account, and over 18 to get the Magic Compose. Google One Premium members have priority access as more spots become available.
Full Story
It feels like a lifetime ago, but the Magic Compose feature was actually unveiled at the Google I/O 2023 conference in May 2023. Feels like ancient history, huh? Then, by the end of that same month, it began rolling out. But hold your horses, it wasn’t a worldwide release. Nope, it was only available in the US and came with a bunch of restrictions.
The feature was “only available in English on Android phones with US SIM cards”. Talk about exclusivity, right? But don’t fret, things are slowly but surely changing. Magic Compose is gradually spreading its wings and gaining international availability. However, let’s just say it’s not exactly winning any races (via 9to5Google).
So, what’s this Magic Compose thing anyway? Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of where it’s headed, let’s take a step back. Maybe you haven’t used it, or perhaps you don’t have a photographic memory of every single I/O 2023 announcement. No judgment here.
In a nutshell, Magic Compose is your personal AI text message generator. You activate it by tapping a sparkly pencil icon in the text field. This then prompts you to try out different style options for your next message reply. Think Remix, Excited, Chill, Shakespeare, Lyrical, Formal, or Short. Quite the variety, right?
For Magic Compose to get to know you better and mimic your style, it sends up to 20 of your previous messages to Google’s servers. This helps generate relevant, contextual suggestions. This includes emojis, reactions, and URLs, but it doesn’t involve messages with attachments, voice messages, or images. However, “image captions and voice transcriptions may be sent”. So, there’s that.
Google assures that your messages won’t be stored or used to train machine learning models. Once suggestions are generated, “Google discards the messages from the servers.” When you’re not using Magic Compose, “no messages are sent to Google”. Sounds pretty secure, doesn’t it?
Now, who’s getting this feature? After the lucky ducks in the US, there are now reports from France and the UK that Magic Compose has landed. But there’s a catch. You still need to be in the Play Store betas for Google Messages and Carrier Services, signed into your Google Account, and over 18 to get the Magic Compose. Also, Google One Premium members “have priority access as more spots become available”. So, it’s not exactly a free-for-all just yet.
