Android Adds AI Defenses Against Messaging Scams and Fake Calls

Google announced new AI-powered protections for Android users against scam messages, suspicious links and fraudulent calls. The features are rolling out to eligible devices.

In Google Messages, cloud-based Gemini analysis can examine conversations with unknown senders for signs of fraud. Google says this analysis runs in its encrypted Private AI Compute environment. On-device Gemini Nano checks unfamiliar links using real-time web signals, and the app adds clearer warnings before users open links from unsaved numbers. The cloud-based protections are off by default, and users can turn them on.

Google is also expanding its verified bank calls system, which checks whether an incoming call was initiated by a bank’s call center or uses a spoofed number. Calls that fail verification are automatically ended. Google says the system has blocked more than 3 million such calls for Banco do Brasil and Itaú Unibanco alone since June. Revolut and other global financial institutions are also supported.

Google says its existing scam detection in Phone and Messages flags more than 5 million suspected scam calls and texts each month. The new protections add conversation analysis, link checks and bank-call verification to Android’s existing detection features.