Google has announced new security features for Android to help users identify and avoid mobile scams involving fraudulent calls, messages and links. The updates include enhanced scam detection in Google Messages, protections against call forwarding and screen-sharing safeguards.

Announced on October 14, the new features use Google's artificial intelligence (AI) technology to identify suspicious activity and warn users about potential threats. According to Google, its AI-powered scam detection tools in Phone by Google and Google Messages flag more than five million suspected scam calls and texts every month.

In the blogpost, the company said the latest updates aim to address increasingly sophisticated fraud tactics, including fake bank alerts, spoofed phone numbers and AI voice cloning.

Google is introducing an optional enhanced protection mode in Google Messages, which is expected to roll out in the coming weeks. The setting will provide additional safeguards against complex messaging scams.

With the feature enabled, Scam Detection can use Google's cloud-based Gemini models through Private AI Compute to analyse conversations with unknown senders and identify suspicious intent. Google said this cloud analysis is designed to complement existing on-device detection while keeping users' data encrypted and inaccessible to others, including Google.

The enhanced mode will also use Gemini Nano, Google's on-device AI model, to improve link safety checks. While Google Messages already flags links associated with known malicious websites, the new system will assess unfamiliar links using real-time web signals to help users identify potential threats before opening them.

Users will also receive redesigned warnings when they attempt to open links sent by numbers that are not saved in their contacts.

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