At Google I/O on Wednesday, the company introduced two new artificial intelligence (AI) safety tools for Android devices aimed at protecting users from scams and harmful apps through real-time activity monitoring. The first tool, Scam Detection in Phone by Google, analyzes conversation patterns to identify potential scam calls. When a suspicious call is detected, users will receive audio and haptic alerts, along with a visual warning on their screen. Powered by Google’s on-device AI system, Gemini Nano, this feature will be available for Pixel 6 through the Pixel 9 series. Although Scam Detection will be disabled by default, users can activate it via the Phone app settings or during a call. Importantly, the detection and processing occur entirely on-device, meaning no conversation audio or transcriptions will be stored or sent to Google servers.
Over $1 trillion is stolen from people every year, and scammers often rely on phones to rip off victims. Scammers use fake caller IDs to make their calls appear legitimate and will then request money or personal information. Google says it will detect and warn users in real-time when a call could be fraudulent using its AI system, Gemini Nano. The feature will scan a call’s content in real time and look for “conversation patterns commonly associated with scams.” For example, the AI will flag it as a scam if someone claims to be calling from your bank and asks you to transfer funds immediately due to a breach.
Users can enable Scam Detection by going into the Phone app settings or during a call and selecting it as their preferred setting. The app will then automatically scan all incoming calls to identify suspicious patterns and notify users in real time with audio, haptic feedback, and a visual alert. It will also work on outgoing calls to prevent scammers from contacting users.
Google’s second tool is Google Play Protect real-time alerts, which monitor an app’s background activity and warn users if it appears to be harmful or dangerous. The tool analyzes minute behavioral signals related to the usage of sensitive permissions and how an app interacts with other apps or services. If it finds an app exhibiting any unusual behavior, it prompts the user to take action.
Google Play Protect real-time alerts will detect and warn users about potentially dangerous apps even before they are installed on their devices. This will provide an extra layer of protection for users as it can’t be turned off or bypassed by malware or other malicious apps. The feature will be rolling out to all Android devices later this year, but it will be especially powerful for Pixel devices with their advanced security features.
