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Advisorygoogle-security-how-android-protects-you-from-scams-bad9f7012cdc

How Android provides the most effective protection to keep you safe from mobile scams

Posted by Lyubov Farafonova, Product Manager, Phone by Google; Alberto Pastor Nieto, Sr.

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Read the exact official research article before applying its defensive techniques or drawing conclusions.

Read Google Security Research: How Android provides the most effective protection to keep you safe from mobile scams (opens a new tab)

What happened

Posted by Lyubov Farafonova, Product Manager, Phone by Google; Alberto Pastor Nieto, Sr. Product Manager Google Messages and RCS Spam and Abuse; Vijay Pareek, Manager, Android Messaging Trust and Safety

As Cybersecurity Awareness Month wraps up, we’re focusing on one of today's most pervasive digital threats: mobile scams. In the last 12 months, fraudsters have used advanced AI tools to create more convincing schemes, resulting in over $400 billion in stolen funds globally. ¹

For years, Android has been on the frontlines in the battle against scammers, using the best of Google AI to build proactive, multi-layered protections that can anticipate and block scams before they reach you. Android’s scam defenses protect users around the world from over 10 billion suspected malicious calls and messages every month 2 .

In addition, Google continuously performs safety checks to maintain the integrity of the RCS service. In the past month alone, this ongoing process blocked over 100 million suspicious numbers from using RCS, stopping potential scams before they could even be sent.

Continue reading

To show how our scam protections work in the real world, we asked users and independent security experts to compare how well Android and iOS protect you from these threats. We're also releasing a new report that explains how modern text scams are orchestrated, helping you understand the tactics fraudsters use and how to spot them.

Survey shows Android users’ confidence in scam protections

Google and YouGov 3 surveyed 5,000 smartphone users across the U.S., India, and Brazil about their scam experiences. The findings were clear: Android users reported receiving fewer scam texts and felt more confident that their device was keeping them safe.

Android users were 58% more likely than iOS users to say they had not received any scam texts in the week prior to the survey. The advantage was even stronger on Pixel, where users were 96% more likely than iPhone owners to report zero scam texts 4 .

At the other end of the spectrum, iOS users were 65% more likely than Android users to report receiving three or more scam texts in a week. The difference became even more pronounced when comparing iPhone to Pixel, with iPhone users 136% more likely to say they had received a heavy volume of scam messages 4 .

Android users were 20% more likely than iOS users to describe their device’s scam protections as “very effective” or “extremely effective.” When comparing Pixel to iPhone, iPhone users were 150% more likely to say their device was not effective at all in stopping mobile fraud.

YouGov study findings on users’ experience with scams on Android and iOS

Security researchers and analysts highlight Android’s AI-driven safeguards against sophisticated scams

In a recent evaluation by Counterpoint Research 5 , a global technology market research firm, Android smartphones were found to have the most AI-powered protections.

The independent study compared the latest Pixel, Samsung, Motorola, and iPhone devices, and found that Android provides comprehensive AI-driven safeguards across ten key protection areas, including email protections, browsing protections, and on-device behavioral protections. By contrast, iOS offered AI-powered protections in only two categories. You can see the full comparison in the visual below.

Counterpoint Research comparison of Android and iOS AI-powered protections

Cybersecurity firm Leviathan Security Group conducted a funded evaluation 6 of scam and fraud protection on the iPhone 17, Moto Razr+ 2025, Pixel 10 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. Their analysis found that Android smartphones, led by the Pixel 10 Pro, provide the highest level of default scam and fraud protection.

The report particularly noted Android's robust call screening, scam detection, and real-time scam warning authentication capabilities as key differentiators. Taken together, these independent expert assessments conclude that Android’s AI-driven safeguards provide more comprehensive and intelligent protection against mobile scams.

Leviathan Security Group comparison of scam protections across various devices

Why Android users see fewer scams

Android’s proactive protections work across the platform to help you stay ahead of threats with the best of Google AI.

Here’s how they work:

Keeping your messages safe: Google Messages automatically filters known spam by analyzing sender reputation and message content, moving suspicious texts directly to your "spam & blocked" folder to keep them out of sight. For more complex threats, Scam Detection uses on-device AI to analyze messages from unknown senders for patterns of conversational scams (like pig butchering) and provide real-time warnings 6 .

This helps secure your privacy while providing a robust shield against text scams. As an extra safeguard, Google Messages also helps block suspicious links in messages that are determined to be spam or scams.

Combatting phone call scams: Phone by Google automatically blocks known spam calls so your phone never even rings, while Call Screen 5 can answer the call on your behalf to identify fraudsters. If you answer, the protection continues with Scam Detection, which uses on-device AI to provide real-time warnings for suspicious conversational patterns 6 .

This processing is completely ephemeral, meaning no call content is ever saved or leaves your device. Android also helps stop social engineering during the call itself by blocking high-risk actions 7 like installing untrusted apps or disabling security settings, and warns you if your screen is being shared unknowingly.

These safeguards are built directly into the core of Android, alongside other features like real-time app scanning in Google Play Protect and enhanced Safe Browsing in Chrome using LLMs. With Android, you can trust that you have intelligent, multi-layered protection against scams working for you.

Android is always evolving to keep you one step ahead of scams

In a world of evolving digital threats, you deserve to feel confident that your phone is keeping you safe. That’s why we use the best of Google AI to build intelligent protections that are always improving and work for you around the clock, so you can connect, browse, and communicate with peace of mind.

See these protections in action in our new infographic and learn more about phone call scams in our 2025 Phone by Google Scam Report .

1: Data from Global Anti-Scam Alliance , October 2025 ↩

2: This total comprises all instances where a message or call was proactively blocked or where a user was alerted to potential spam or scam activity. ↩

3: Google/YouGov survey, July-August, n=5,100 (1,700 each in the US, Brazil and India), with adults who use their smartphones daily and who have been exposed to a scam or fraud attempt on their smartphone. Survey data have been weighted to smartphone population adults in each country. ↩

4: Among users who use the default texting app on their smartphone ↩

5: Google/Counterpoint Research, “Assessing the State of AI-Powered Mobile Security”, Oct. 2025; based on comparing the Pixel 10 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, OnePlus 13, Motorola Razr+ 2025. Evaluation based on no-cost smartphone features enabled by default. Some features may not be available in all countries. ↩

6: Google/Leviathan Security Group, “October 2025 Mobile Platform Security & Fraud Prevention Assessment”, Oct. 2025; based on comparing the Pixel 10 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Motorola Razr+ 2025. Evaluation based on no-cost smartphone features enabled by default. Some features may not be available in all countries. ↩ ↩

7: Accuracy may vary. Availability varies. ↩ ↩ ↩

Related technology

Sources

  1. Primary source

    Google Security Research: How Android provides the most effective protection to keep you safe from mobile scams (opens a new tab)

    Exact official article/advisory identified by the feed; title, source dates, and any supplied article excerpt.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    Google Security Research syndication feed (opens a new tab)

    The RSS/Atom/RDF entry supplied this exact link and any available title, date, and excerpt.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2025, November 25). How Android provides the most effective protection to keep you safe from mobile scams. https://kevwire.com/record/google-security-how-android-protects-you-from-scams-bad9f7012cdc

MLA

"How Android provides the most effective protection to keep you safe from mobile scams." KEVWire, 25 Nov. 2025, kevwire.com/record/google-security-how-android-protects-you-from-scams-bad9f7012cdc.

Chicago

KEVWire. "How Android provides the most effective protection to keep you safe from mobile scams." Last modified November 25, 2025. https://kevwire.com/record/google-security-how-android-protects-you-from-scams-bad9f7012cdc.

Evidence summary (plain text)

How Android provides the most effective protection to keep you safe from mobile scams (Oct 30, 2025).
Posted by Lyubov Farafonova, Product Manager, Phone by Google; Alberto Pastor Nieto, Sr. Product Manager Google Messages and RCS Spam and Abuse; Vijay Pareek, Manager, Android Messaging Trust and Safety 

As Cybersecurity Awareness Month wraps up, we’re focusing on one of today's most pervasive digital threats: mobile scams. In the last 12 months, fraudsters have used advanced AI tools to create more convincing schemes, resulting in over $400 billion in stolen funds globally. ¹ 

For years, Android has been on the frontlines in the battle against scammers, using the best of Google AI to build proactive, multi-layered protections that can anticipate and block scams before they reach you. Android’s scam defenses protect users around the world from over 10 billion suspected malicious calls and messages every month 2 . In addition, Google continuously performs safety checks to maintain the integrity of the RCS service. In the past month alone, this ongoing process blocked over 100 million suspicious numbers from using RCS, stopping potential scams before they could even be sent. 

To show how our scam protections work in the real world, we asked users and independent security experts to compare how well Android and iOS protect you from these threats. We're also releasing a new report that explains how modern text scams are orchestrated, helping you understand the tactics fraudsters use and how to spot them. 

 Survey shows Android users’ confidence in scam protections 

Google and YouGov 3 surveyed 5,000 smartphone users across the U.S., India, and Brazil about their scam experiences. The findings were clear: Android users reported receiving fewer scam texts and felt more confident that their device was keeping them safe.

 Android users were 58% more likely than iOS users to say they had not received any scam texts in the week prior to the survey. The advantage was even stronger on Pixel, where users were 96% more likely than iPhone owners to report zero scam texts 4 .
Sources:
Google Security Research: How Android provides the most effective protection to keep you safe from mobile scams: https://security.googleblog.com/2025/10/how-android-protects-you-from-scams.html
Google Security Research syndication feed: https://security.googleblog.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss&redirect=false&max-results=50
Record ID: google-security-how-android-protects-you-from-scams-bad9f7012cdc.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Oct 26, 2026, 21:35 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

This is an excerpt of official research, not a reproduced result or evidence of exposure to a scored vulnerability.

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