The Pixel-exclusive Scam Detection feature could make its way to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 series.
No more Pixel exclusivity
While the list has definitely become very small over time, there are still a good number of features that remain exclusive to the Google Pixel series. One of these is the Scam Detection feature, which was introduced in 2024 with the launch of the Pixel 9 series. It basically works on a corpus of knowledge about the general tactics scammers use to scam their targets.
Initially, it used to work only with phone calls and text messages. But with last year’s November Pixel drop, it also gained the ability to scan third-party chat apps like WhatsApp and notify you if it detects that the other person might be a scammer.
Although Scam Detection is currently available only on Google Pixel phones, a new report suggests it could come to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 series as well. In the Phone by Google app version 206.0.857916353, the model numbers for all Galaxy S26 lineup phones and the feature codename “Sharpie” have reportedly been spotted. In the Pixel 9 series (excluding the Pixel 9a) and Pixel 10 series, the Scam Detection feature relies on on-device Gemini Nano via the AI Core to function.
However, everything is not as smooth as it may sound. You see, Scam Detection is a feature in the Phone by Google app. Samsung, however, doesn’t use it as its default dialer app. Instead, it has its own phone app that comes pre-installed on Galaxy phones.
You definitely have the option to install the Google Phone app from the Play Store and set it as your default dialer app, but there’s a problem with that as well. The Galaxy device will consider it a user app, and as a result, it might not provide all the permissions the app requires for its Scam Detection feature to function. It’ll most likely have those rights if it comes as a system app.
The only viable solution here is for the tech giant to ditch its proprietary dialer app and offer the Phone by Google app as the default dialer in the
S26 lineup. But will that actually happen? Well, it could, and there are two main reasons why I think so.
Here’s why Samsung could ditch its own dialer app for the Phone by Google app
First, the Korean giant already moved from its messaging app in favor of the Google Messages app in 2024 to offer better RCS services on its Galaxy phones. That means it wouldn’t be a major problem for Samsung to adopt an application that has been proprietary to a different brand for so long.
The second and most important reason is that if Phone by Google isn’t set as the default dialer app in the S26 lineup, the feature will most likely go unutilized. This is because users who aren’t deeply involved in the tech space might never discover they can access such an advanced feature by simply installing the app.
It’ll become clear at the Galaxy Unpacked event
As a Pixel owner (Pixel 10), I often brag about its Scam Detection feature to my non-Pixel friends. I highly agree that some features must remain exclusive to certain brands, but Scam Detection is one of those features I’m totally comfortable sharing with smartphones from other brands. It definitely doesn’t produce 100% results, as scammers always come up with new ways to target their victims, but it does the job most of the time.
There is no guarantee that this feature will actually arrive on the Samsung Galaxy S26 series. But if it does, it would definitely become another reason, along with the Privacy Display, for recommending the S26. That said, is Scam Detection losing its Pixel exclusivity? Everything will become clear at the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event, which is most likely to occur next month.
