To address this growing threat, Google has announced a new Android safety feature called “fake call detection,” aimed at identifying and flagging suspected spoofed calls in real time for users of the Phone by Google app.

In a blog post, the company said the feature builds on its earlier rollout of verified financial calls, which alerts users when a caller may be impersonating a financial institution.

“Marking a major milestone in mobile security, fake call detection helps protect you, your family and friends by identifying when a caller isn’t who they claim to be, giving you an extra layer of defense against sophisticated AI voice cloning scams, also called deepfake attacks,” Google said.

How the system works

The feature is enabled by default and operates automatically in the background.

Google described the process as a “digital handshake” between devices. When a known contact places a call and both users are on Phone by Google, their devices exchange a silent, real-time verification signal to confirm the authenticity of the call.

This process relies on end-to-end encrypted Rich Communication Services (RCS), ensuring that the verification remains private and secure.

If a scammer attempts to impersonate a contact, the verification signal will be missing. In such cases, the receiving device detects the anomaly and may ping the contact’s actual device for confirmation. If the legitimate device responds that no call is being made, the system immediately issues a warning advising the user to hang up.

Google said this proactive alert system is designed to help users avoid falling victim to deepfake voice impersonation and call spoofing in real time.

Users can disable the feature anytime through the Phone by Google app settings.

Availability and rollout

Google said the fake call detection feature is being rolled out globally to Android 12 and above devices, starting with Pixel smartphones.

The company noted that Phone by Google is already the default calling app on most Android devices. Users with other dialer apps can install it from the Play Store and set it as their default to access the feature.

“Security shouldn’t be limited to just one type of phone or app. We want to raise the bar across the industry to help protect as many people as possible,” Google said, adding that the feature is built on the open RCS standard, enabling broader adoption by other manufacturers and apps.