Google's new Android security feature, "fake call detection," detects scam calls that use AI to impersonate a user's contacts by verifying a silent encrypted confirmation signal sent from the caller's device to the recipient's device. If this signal is missing, the recipient's device pings the contact's actual phone to confirm if the call is legitimate. If the contact's device denies making the call, the user receives an on-screen warning to hang up. This feature relies on the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard and requires the Phone by Google, Contacts, and Google Messages apps with RCS enabled. It addresses fraud tactics combining phone number spoofing and AI voice cloning, which have led to billions in losses worldwide. The feature is rolling out globally on Android 12+ devices, starting with Pixel phones, and is enabled by default.

This feature mitigates the risk of falling victim to AI deepfake scam calls that impersonate trusted contacts, a tactic linked to billions of dollars in global fraud losses. By providing real-time warnings about potentially spoofed calls, it reduces the likelihood of successful social engineering attacks via phone. It enhances user protection against sophisticated impersonation scams that bypass traditional caller ID methods.

This security feature is enabled by default on supported Android 12 and later devices with the required Google apps installed and RCS enabled. Users should ensure they have the Phone by Google, Contacts, and Google Messages apps installed and set Phone by Google as their default phone app to benefit from this protection. No additional user action is required beyond enabling these apps and RCS. As this is a new built-in feature, no separate patch or update is necessary beyond standard app and OS updates.