Google Messages rolls out optional protection against scams
Enhanced Protection adds cloud-based scam checks, link screening on selected devices and revised warnings for messages from unfamiliar numbers.
Google Messages is rolling out Enhanced Protection for Android, adding an optional layer of spam and scam detection. The mode includes three features and has appeared in beta version 20261020_00_RC00.
For conversations with unknown senders, Scam Detection will use Gemini models running in the cloud to analyze message context and assess potential scammer intent. Google says this approach can identify new and sophisticated scams better than its existing detection on the device. Messages are encrypted and handled through Android’s Private AI Compute, in a protected environment that Google says is inaccessible to anyone else, including Google.
A separate link-checking feature combines Gemini Nano on the device with live web signals to assess unfamiliar links before they are opened. Support includes Pixel 10+, the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8 and selected other devices.
The third change revises warnings about links from numbers outside a user’s contacts, offering more context and time to consider opening them. Users can enable Enhanced Protection under Protection & safety in the app’s settings. That menu now offers three choices—Enhanced protection, Standard protection and No protection—in place of a single toggle.
