Credit: Google Google announced new Android scam defences on 14 October, led by an opt-in Enhanced protection mode in Google Messages that uses Gemini models in the cloud. Android will also end fake bank calls, hide login fields in Chrome during screen sharing, and block apps from silently forwarding calls. Google is adding new AI tools to Android to catch scam texts and calls, the company said in a blog post on Wednesday. The main change is an opt-in Enhanced protection mode in Google Messages, which will roll out in the coming weeks.
With the mode switched on, Google Messages sends chats with unknown senders to Gemini models in the cloud to spot a scammer’s intent earlier. Google said this runs in Private AI Compute, a secure setup where the messages stay encrypted and out of reach, even to Google. Separately, Gemini Nano will check unfamiliar links on the phone itself before users tap them. That check is coming to the Pixel 10 and later, the Galaxy S26 series, the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold8, and some other phones.
Google said its Scam Detection tools already flag more than 5 million suspected scam calls and texts each month. Scam alerts in chat notifications, which started on Pixel phones, will also come to phones from brands including Motorola, OPPO, OnePlus, vivo, and Xiaomi later this year, according to 9to5Google. Android will also hide login and payment fields in Chrome when a user shares their screen. That change is rolling out this month on Android 15 and later.
From early December, Android will stop apps from turning on call forwarding in the background. Scammers use forwarding to steal one-time passcodes, Google said, and the phone will also warn users before a typed forwarding code takes effect. For calls, Google has added verified financial calls with banks including Banco do Brasil, Itaú Unibanco, and Revolut. Android checks with the bank’s app whether the bank really placed the call, and hangs up if it did not.
Since the feature launched in June, Android has blocked more than 3 million fake calls posing as Banco do Brasil and Itaú alone, Google said. Bank impersonation scams in Brazil rose 195.7% over 12 months, according to Brazil’s bank federation, FEBRABAN. The update comes as fraud keeps growing. Google has also sued a scam ring that it said used Gemini to build fake websites, and the global scam economy reached $442B in 2025.
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