Google is rolling out two new AI-powered security features to Pixel 6 or newer devices. One observes call patterns to notify users about potential scammers on the default Phone app, and the other scans apps for malware and notifies users about live threats via Google Play Protect.
Scam Detection uses on-device AI to look for conversation patterns commonly used by scammers. For example, Google says if an unknown caller asks you to transfer urgent funds citing dubious reasons, the AI will send audio, haptic, and visual alerts to notify you of a potential scam.
The feature is processed fully on-device, and the conversation data won’t be stored on the device or sent to a Google server or anywhere else, Google says. But that does mean the AI is listening to your phone conversations if enabled. On the Pixel 9 series, it is powered by the Gemini Nano AI model, and on the other Pixel devices, it’s powered by undisclosed Google models.
Scam Detection is turned off by default. Users can turn it on for all calls via the Phone app’s Settings. The feature, which can currently identify calls in English, is rolling out to public beta users of the Phone app in the US.
(Credit: Google)
The other nifty addition is live threat detection in Google Play Protect. The feature observes the activity patterns of malicious apps “that try extra hard to hide their behavior or lie dormant for a time before engaging in suspicious activity.”
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When a harmful app gets flagged by the AI, users will receive a real-time notification alert to take immediate action. At launch, the feature will scan for stalkerware—apps that collect sensitive data without user consent—and will later improve its capabilities to detect other types of malicious activities.
(Credit: Google)
Live threat detection is performed on-device and uses Private Compute Core, an Android framework that protects users without collecting data. These new safety features will be rolling out to other Android phones soon.
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About Jibin Joseph
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