On Android, Google analyzes your calls in real time to detect scams

Google introduced two new Android security features:

• detecting scams in Phone by Google
• and Google Play Protect live threat detection with real-time alerts to protect users from malware and dangerous apps.

To go further
Soon your Pixel smartphone will answer the phone by itself

Better detect malicious applications

The second focuses on applications by tracking permissions granted and interactions between applications to detect suspicious behavior.

From now on, Google Play Protect will be able to go further by uncovering behaviors knowingly hidden by malicious applications.

Initially, protection will be focused on data theft, but will eventually expand to “detection of other types of harmful applications”explains Google.

Real-time call analysis

The other new feature is undoubtedly the most telling. It directly addresses the Android phone application. This can already filter unwanted calls by indicating whether they are potential spam.

Google adds a touch of artificial intelligence to go even further and analyze the content of the conversation itself.

When the call is answered, the system will analyze the words and compare them in real time with conversation patterns associated with scams.

Google illustrates its point with an example: “If a caller claims to be from your bank and asks you to transfer emergency funds due to a suspected account breach, Scam Detection will process the call to determine if it is likely spam and, if so, will be able to provide an audio and haptic alert and a visual warning that the call may be a scam. »

Data is not stored, either locally or online

Calls listened to, privacy problem. To counter this, Google announces that the option is disabled by default. You must therefore manually activate it in the phone application settings.

It is then possible to deactivate it occasionally for a specific call.

Finally, Google ensures that the analyzed data is not “stored on the device, sent to Google servers or elsewhere, or recoverable after the call.”

These functions are first deployed on Google smartphones. From Pixel 6 everyone is eligible. Google will subsequently offer them on other Android devices.