Google has announced a new Enhanced Protection mode for Google Messages along with a set of anti-scam changes for Android, according to a post on the company's security blog.
The announcement also expands notification-based scam alerts, previously limited to Pixel phones, to hundreds of millions of additional Android devices.
Google describes Enhanced Protection as an optional setting that offers its most advanced protection against sophisticated scams. Google has not given a rollout date for the individual features.
What Enhanced Protection Mode Does in Google Messages
Enhanced Protection uses Google's most capable Gemini models in the cloud to understand what scammers intend and to flag threats that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Google says the analysis runs through Private AI Compute, where data is encrypted and processed in a secure environment that even Google cannot access. The company claims this lets it apply more powerful AI models without compromising user privacy.
Link checks in Google Messages are changing too. Gemini Nano, the on-device model, now works alongside real-time web signals to decide whether an unfamiliar link is trustworthy before the user opens it.
Scam warnings are also moving into the notification shade. Users will see alerts about suspicious messages directly in their notifications, before they open the texting app.
Google lists phones from Honor, Infinix, itel, Motorola, Oppo, OnePlus, Realme, Tecno, vivo, and Xiaomi among the devices getting the alerts, along with other Android manufacturers.
The changes follow other recent Google Messages updates, including Google removing the SMS and MMS only toggle.
Android Scam Protections for Screen Sharing and Call Forwarding
Android already hides some sensitive information when the screen is shared. Google is extending that protection to Chrome and Android WebView, so the following is hidden automatically during live screen sharing sessions:
- login credentials entered in apps and websites
- payment details
- other private data shown on screen
The change targets a common scam pattern in which victims are talked into sharing their screen and then guided through banking apps or websites.
Call forwarding gets its own safeguard. Google says scammers sometimes enable call forwarding on a victim's phone to intercept calls and one-time passcodes.
Android will now stop apps from silently enabling call forwarding in the background. If someone tries to get a user to type an MMI code into the phone dialer to switch forwarding on manually, Android displays a warning that explains the risk.
Users who want the strongest checks in Google Messages need to turn Enhanced Protection on, since it is optional and sends message analysis to the cloud.
The trade-off is cloud processing instead of purely on-device checks, which Google says stays private through Private AI Compute. The dialer warning is worth taking seriously: a stranger asking for an MMI code to be entered is a sign of a call forwarding scam.
Google has not published a schedule for each protection or said which Android versions the screen sharing and call forwarding changes require.
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