Android launches new protections against phone call scammers

Google is rolling out a number of new options to guard Android customers from falling sufferer to cellphone name scams. Now, Android will routinely block customers from sideloading an app for the primary time from an online browser, messaging app, or different service whereas on a name with an unknown contact.

Google may even cease customers from giving an app accessibility permissions whereas speaking on the cellphone, serving to to forestall a doubtlessly harmful app from gaining management of their gadget and stealing private data. For those who attempt to modify these settings throughout a name, Google will show a message saying: “This setting is blocked to guard your gadget.” It additionally warns customers that “scammers might attempt to take management of your gadget by asking you to permit accessibility entry for an app.”

Google already blocks users from disabling its app safety service, Play Shield, throughout cellphone calls. The corporate says these protections occur “fully on gadget” and may assist stop scammers from tricking customers into downloading malicious apps and enabling delicate permissions. The brand new protections can be found on units with Android 16.

Google additionally introduced that it’s testing a brand new Android characteristic to discourage customers from opening their banking app whereas sharing their display on a name. The characteristic, which is rolling out to banking apps within the UK, together with Monzo, NatWest, and Revolut to begin, is supposed to fight screen-sharing scams the place fraudsters impersonate banks or authorities businesses to persuade victims to carry out dangerous actions, like financial institution transfers.

When customers attempt to launch a banking app whereas sharing their display with an unknown contact, Google will show a pop-up to warn of a “doubtless rip-off,” whereas providing an “finish name” button that customers can press to right away dangle up and cease sharing their display. If customers select to not finish the decision, they’ll have to attend 30 seconds earlier than they will proceed to share their banking app’s display. This will likely be accessible to units operating Android 11 and newer, and Google says it is going to “assess the outcomes of the pilot” earlier than rolling it out extra broadly.

These options construct upon Android’s rising rip-off safety instruments. Final 12 months, it began utilizing AI to detect if a caller could be a scammer and encourage customers to finish these calls. It additionally rolled out AI-powered scam detection in Google Messages, which has expanded to extra sorts of scams, reminiscent of those who try to gather private data by phony toll street billing messages, crypto scams, monetary impersonation scams, and extra.