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    Google can now read your WhatsApp messages

    (www.neowin.net)
    469 points bundie | 11 comments | 08 Jul 25 16:11 UTC | HN request time: 1.087s | source | bottom
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    jeroenhd ◴[08 Jul 25 17:20 UTC] No.44502053[source]▶
    Google has been working on this since November last year going by the wayback archive of the support page for this feature.

    I'm not seeing any indication that Gemini can read your messages, though. You can compose messages and start calls, but I can't get it to read me any of my messages. In fact, I can't even get it to send messages to group chats, only to individual contacts.

    The feature makes a lot of sense, of course. WhatsApp is to many countries across the globe what texting and calling is to Americans. If your smart assistant can't even interact with WhatsApp, it's basically useless for many people.

    Edit: ah, that explains why I can't make Gemini read my messages to me, Google's own documentation (https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/15574928) says it can't:

        What Gemini can’t do with WhatsApp
    
        Read or summarize your messages
        Add or read images, gifs, or memes in your messages
        Add or play audio or videos in your messages
        Read or respond to WhatsApp notifications
    If you connected Google Assistant to WhatsApp, it seems like data may flow that direction, but then you've already hooked WhatsApp into Google before so I don't think anyone will be surprised there.

    Does anyone know how I can make Gemini read messages? I can't even find the assistant settings necessary for that stuff to function.

    replies(7): >>44502286 #>>44502292 #>>44502335 #>>44502367 #>>44502393 #>>44502644 #>>44502812 #
    Hizonner ◴[08 Jul 25 17:43 UTC] No.44502286[source]▶
    What Gemini should be able to do with WhatsApp:

        Exactly and only what any other random app on the phone could do
    with WhatsApp, assuming that you have enabled that in exactly the
    way you would have to enable any other random app to do it.
    Google needs to not be abusing its position as the source of the OS to give its software special privilege to reach inside of third-party apps.
    replies(7): >>44502323 #>>44502371 #>>44502376 #>>44502572 #>>44502628 #>>44504114 #>>44509843 #
    kccqzy ◴[08 Jul 25 17:47 UTC] No.44502323[source]▶
    The line is blurry. Google is positioning Gemini not just as an app, but as a OS level feature. The OS can by definition reach into any third-app app to do anything it wants. I'll give some more examples of OS-level features in case it's not clear: copy/paste is an OS-level feature and it is designed to extract arbitrary text or content from third party apps (copy) and insert them into third party apps (paste); screenshotting is an OS-level feature and it is designed to capture the visible views of any third party app with the only exception being DRM content.

    Apple Intelligence has similar marketing. In last year's WWDC, there was the whole "Siri, when is my mom's flight landing?" segment (see https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2024/101/ at 1h22m) that didn't generate any controversy. So for some reason people think Siri should rightfully be an OS-level feature but Gemini should not. Got it. I guess Apple's PR is just that much better than Google's.

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    Hizonner ◴[08 Jul 25 17:53 UTC] No.44502375[source]▶
    The fact that Google would find it to be convenient for the line to be blurry doesn't mean that anybody looking at it in good faith sees the line as blurry.
    replies(3): >>44502426 #>>44503178 #>>44503502 #
    1. sheepscreek ◴[08 Jul 25 19:25 UTC] No.44503178[source]▶
    Google is an advertising company. Apple is a consumer hardware company. Who would you trust more with your data? It’s that simple (irrespective of the ground truth, simply referring to the optics of it).
    replies(3): >>44503341 #>>44503424 #>>44513640 #
    2. ajross ◴[08 Jul 25 19:43 UTC] No.44503341[source]▶
    Google sells hardware and Apple sells ads, in great quantity in both cases. Not sure "it's that simple" at all.
    replies(1): >>44503443 #
    3. potatoproduct ◴[08 Jul 25 19:53 UTC] No.44503424[source]▶
    Apple is an advertising company.

    https://ads.apple.com/

    Generates billions for Apple and is growing rapidly, since they implemented increasingly aggressive "privacy features" to block their competitors.

    replies(2): >>44503892 #>>44503922 #
    4. dasil003 ◴[08 Jul 25 19:55 UTC] No.44503443[source]▶
    What percentage of revenue do ads and hardware contribute to the bottom line in Apple and Google? That answer will tell you more about leadership incentives than just hand-waving away the discussion based on the fact that big tech companies tend to dip their toes in a lot of pools.
    replies(2): >>44503486 #>>44503890 #
    5. fsflover ◴[08 Jul 25 19:58 UTC] No.44503486{3}[source]▶
    It's expanding, which is all that matters: https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/19/apple-now-directly-sell...
    6. ogurechny ◴[08 Jul 25 20:41 UTC] No.44503890{3}[source]▶
    All of you have joined an argument that is completely fictional. I am amazed that someone can still fall for “Apple is a hardware company” bait.

    Both Google and Apple control enormous number of devices, the data on them (or data collected by them), their software, and their users. They make money by selling you tiny bit of access to that, directly or indirectly. End of story. Should I remind you how much being special to privacy restrictions costs Facebook?

    replies(1): >>44513190 #
    7. pdpi ◴[08 Jul 25 20:41 UTC] No.44503892[source]▶
    Apple has an advertising business. That’s materially different from having advertising as your core revenue stream.

    Likewise, Google has a consumer electronics business, but they’re not a consumer electronics company.

    replies(1): >>44509851 #
    8. ◴[08 Jul 25 20:45 UTC] No.44503922[source]▶
    9. red-iron-pine ◴[09 Jul 25 13:31 UTC] No.44509851{3}[source]▶
    billions of dollars means it is a core revenue stream
    10. transcriptase ◴[09 Jul 25 18:15 UTC] No.44513190{4}[source]▶
    Take advertising away from both. Which one would crumble vs contend with a few worse than expected quarters.

    Google is something like 75% ad revenue, <5% hardware.

    Apple is something like 75% hardware, <5% ad revenue.

    11. sheepscreek ◴[09 Jul 25 18:59 UTC] No.44513640[source]▶
    > irrespective of the ground truth, simply referring to the optics of it

    I thought I was being clear when I said that. My comment was referring to the general perception among masses.

    Google's reputation is further tainted by a certain sneakiness. Like being caught using private data for AI training - despite people opting out of it. All because of cleverly worded legal language that allowed other Google subsidiaries unfettered access.[1]

    [1]: Google Can Train Search AI With Web Content After AI Opt-Out https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-03/google-ca...