Google has revealed that its Pixel devices will now have additional security capabilities to guard against fraudulent calls and harmful apps. When it finds malware or questionable app activity, the Google Play Protect live threat detection tool instantly notifies users.
Similarly, the Scam Detection feature uses artificial intelligence on the device to identify and alert consumers in real time to any scam calls. Google announced on its security blog that the Pixel 6 and later Pixel models now support live threat detection with real-time notifications in Google Play Protect.
In the upcoming months, the feature will also be accessible on other Android handsets, the business revealed. Currently available to a limited number of Pixel customers in the US through public beta, the Scam Detection function of the Pixel phone app is anticipated to become widely available following the testing phase.
The new function uses Private Compute Core, an isolated data processing environment built into the Android operating system, to gather and analyse sensitive and personal data on smartphones for privacy purposes.
Details of the new feature
According to Google, the new Scam Detection function alerts customers if it recognises a possible scam call using on-device AI. If an ongoing call seems to be a fraud, the function recognises conversation patterns frequently linked to scams and instantly notifies users visually and audibly.
According to Google, no audio or transcription is saved on the device or transmitted to servers; instead, the AI identification model and processing are entirely on-device. The user has the option to enable or disable the feature at any time; it is by default disabled.