This week, Google announced a host of new tools included in Android 16 aimed at protecting users from scams.
The tech giant detailed the new features at its Android I/O presentation on Tuesday, which Mashable covered in detail. Android 16’s protections seem to focus on the common scams we’re seeing more and more — things like fake EZ-Pass bills and scammers posing as real banks. Here’s what’s new in Android 16’s security tools.
Protection against phone call scams
Google detailed all its updated scam tools in a blog post. New in-call protections prevent users from taking risky actions, such as granting accessibility permissions, since many scams rely on bad actors getting control of the device.
“And if you’re screen sharing during a phone call, Android will now automatically prompt you to stop sharing at the end of a call,” Google further wrote in its blog. “These protections help safeguard you against scammers that attempt to gain access to sensitive information to conduct fraud.”
In other words, these new in-call protections seemed to be aimed at protecting you from yourself. People make mistakes or get overwhelmed by scammers pressing them for information—these tools look to curb those impulses. In fact, it’s piloting a program in the U.K. that’ll help stop folks from sharing their screens while looking at banking apps.
“When you launch a participating banking app while screen sharing with an unknown contact, your Android device will warn you about the potential dangers and give you the option to end the call and to stop screen sharing with one tap,” the blog reads.
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Stopping text scams
Google said Android 16 has improved its scam detection in texts via an AI-powered tool dubbed, what else, Scam Detection.
Google wrote, “When Scam Detection discovers a suspicious conversation pattern, it warns you in real time so you can react before falling victim to a costly scam.”
The company also noted it has focused especially on a bevy of common scams, including:
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Toll road and other billing fee scams
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Crypto scams
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Financial impersonation scams
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Gift card and prize scams
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Technical support scams.
Helping you spot imposters
Android 16 features a new tool called Key Verifier, which will help users ensure they’re talking to the right person. It “allows you and the person you’re messaging to verify the identity of the other party through public encryption keys,” Google wrote.
This could prove helpful in a scam where someone swaps SIMs, for instance.
Android 16 has certainly expanded its scam protections, but as always, be careful out there. Scammers never stop.
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