Android Uses Gemini to Flag Scam Messages and Adds Call and Screen-Sharing Protections

The enhanced protection setting will roll out in the coming weeks, according to The Verge and Engadget. It builds on Google Messages' existing Scam Detection and taps cloud-based Gemini models to assess a sender's intent in conversations with people not in the user's contacts, Google said. In an example described by Engadget, a sender pretended to show a photo of the recipient with their dog; after being told they had the wrong number, the sender tried to keep the conversation going and asked for the recipient's name.

Google said the cloud analysis is encrypted and processed in a secure dedicated space that neither Google nor anyone else besides the user can access, according to The Verge. Engadget reported that Android analyzes messages in Private AI Compute. On-device Gemini Nano also checks links in Messages before they are opened, using real-time web signals in unfamiliar URLs to determine whether they are malicious, The Verge reported. Engadget said the link analysis will be available on Pixel 10 and later, Samsung Galaxy S26 series, Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Fold 8, and other select devices.

Google also redesigned its scam warnings to provide more context and extra time before users tap links sent from numbers not in their contacts list, Engadget reported.

The chat-notification Scam Detection feature that Google introduced on Pixel phones last year is expanding to devices from Honor, Motorola, Oppo, OnePlus, Realme, Tecno, Vivo, Xiaomi and others, according to The Verge. Engadget reported that Google is working with Honor, Motorola, OPPO, OnePlus, realme, vivo and Xiaomi, which are expected to enable the feature later this year. The Verge said Google plans to bring it to hundreds of millions of additional users later this year.

Separately, all devices running Android 15 and newer will receive automatic screen-sharing privacy later this month, Engadget reported. The feature will hide passwords, banking information and credit card security numbers by default when a user shares a screen with Chrome or Android WebView open. The Verge described the same tool as automatically concealing sensitive information during screen sharing in Chrome and Android WebView.

In early December, Google will roll out call forwarding protection on Pixel and other select devices, according to Engadget. The feature will block apps from secretly enabling call forwarding in the background. Android will also warn users if a scammer tries to trick them into typing an MMI forwarding code, a short string of figures, to turn on call forwarding. The Verge reported that the protection blocks apps from enabling call forwarding and notifies the user when someone attempts to do so.

Google also said it has teamed with banks in Brazil to combat bank impersonation, Engadget reported. Android performs a verification check on incoming calls; if a caller fails, Android hangs up and alerts the user. Google said the feature has blocked more than 3 million fake calls since it launched in June. Engadget reported that it is unclear whether or when the tool will be available in the United States, and Google said it will work with more partner banks in the future.

"Scammers often disguise their true motives behind slow-burn conversations," Google said in its announcement, according to The Verge. "This secure cloud analysis augments and extends our existing on-device detection, allowing us to identify novel and sophisticated attacks, actively uncovering and stopping abusers who try to hide their tracks."

Editor's Summary

Google is adding an opt-in Gemini-powered scam detection setting to Google Messages and expanding Android protections against call forwarding, screen-sharing leaks and bank impersonation. The features roll out in stages, with some tools limited to select devices and others coming to Android 15 and newer. Google says it will extend chat-notification scam detection to more manufacturers and hundreds of millions of additional users.