First calls and texts, now Pixels may detect scams from chat apps (APK teardown)

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority

TL; Dr

An Android Authority teardown has revealed that Google’s Scam Detection feature is coming to chat apps.
The feature will display scam detection alerts in chat app notifications.
It’s possible that apps like WhatsApp, Signal, Instagram, and Twitter could support this functionality.

We dug into the Android System Intelligence update for the Pixel 10 series (version B.13.playstore.pixel10.801661517) and discovered that Google is working on expanding Scam Detection to some third-party apps. The feature will likely be accessible by tapping Settings > Security & Privacy > More Security & Privacy > Scam Detection. Check out the screenshots below.

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As the screenshots suggest, Scam Detection in supported third-party apps will apply to chat notifications rather than running inside the chat app itself. We’re guessing this will be powered by Gemini Nano, much like Scam Detection for calls and texts. So what kind of alerts could you see? We managed to uncover some strings, which can be viewed below.

Code

Copy TextMay contain harmful contents
Likely scam
Scam Detection found suspicious activity in this message
Protect yourself against scams:
Likely scam
Not a scam
Scam Detection paused for this chat

As the strings above show, Scam Detection in supported chat apps might warn you that a message has “suspicious activity,” could be a scam, or could contain harmful content. The penultimate string also suggests that you can hit a button to confirm that a message isn’t a scam. The last string reveals that you can pause Scam Detection for “this chat.” That’s good news as it suggests Scam Detection works on a per-chat basis rather than on a per-app basis. So you can theoretically mark individual chats as scams, allowing other chats within the same app to continue as normal.

We also spotted a text snippet hinting at a daily limit for scam warnings:

Cannot display warning for current message, since number of already displayed alerts reached the daily limit.

It’s unclear if this would be a technical limitation of the Scam Detection feature or if Google is simply eyeing a limit for user convenience. After all, it might be a somewhat disruptive experience if you’re getting alerts every few minutes.

What about the supported apps, though? We found a file that hints at this feature and mentions a variety of app names:

Google Messages
Google Chat
Signal
WhatsApp
Instagram
Kakao Talk
Line
Verizon Messages
Twitter
Facebook Messenger Lite
Hangouts
Test SafeComms Chat

The last two apps are peculiar entries, as Hangouts has since been discontinued. Meanwhile, we’re guessing the Test SafeComms Chat app is used for internal purposes only. Either way, this list isn’t confirmation that all these apps will support Scam Detection.

We’re expecting this expanded Scam Detection feature to come to the Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 series. In any event, this would be a welcome addition to Google’s arsenal of scam and spam protection measures. After all, apps like WhatsApp and Instagram are havens for scammers and fraudsters. This expansion would also come over a year after colleague Rita El-Khoury urged Google to bring Scam Detection to Android itself.

⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.

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