Google Chrome Blocks 7 Billion Abusive Android Notifications Daily

Google said Chrome's anti-abuse protections blocked more than 7 billion unwanted web notifications per day on Android in the first quarter of 2026, targeting a channel widely used for scams, phishing, malware delivery, and fraudulent payment requests. The company said its layered defense model combines Chrome Security, Safe Browsing, and Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to detect and disrupt abusive notification activity before it reaches users.

Chrome now automatically revokes notification permissions for inactive sites and for domains repeatedly flagged for suspicious or deceptive behavior, while also analyzing related site networks and coordinated service worker activity to identify persistent bad actors and revoke permissions proactively. Google said it also rate-limits disruptive domains to 1,000 notifications per minute, returning HTTP 429 for excess requests, applies stricter controls to repeat offenders, redesigned Android notification permission prompts to reduce abuse and background activity, and added user-facing controls including Safety Hub review options and one-tap unsubscribe.