Google announced on Tuesday, local time, that the Android system will launch a new feature called "Fake Call Detection" to prevent call fraud using AI deep forgery technology. The feature will be rolled out to Android 12 and above devices globally this month through the "Google Phone" app, starting with Pixel phones.
As more and more users reject calls from unknown numbers, scammers have begun to adapt their tactics by spoofing trusted numbers and using AI deepfaking technology to imitate the voices of authority figures, family members or employers to commit fraud. For example, the victim's mobile phone shows that the caller is "Mom" and the caller's voice is very similar to the mother's. However, in fact, the scammer uses AI tools to forge his identity and induce transfers on the grounds of emergency.
Google said that the "fake call detection" function is turned on by default and runs automatically in the background without any additional settings by the user. It works like a "digital handshake" between devices. When an address book contact calls a user and both parties are using the Google Phone app, the other party's phone sends a silent confirmation signal to the user's device to verify that the call is indeed coming from the contact's device. This initial confirmation signal will be missing once a scammer attempts to impersonate a trusted contact. After the user's mobile phone detects an abnormality, it will actively send a secondary confirmation request to the contact's real device; if the other party's device responds that "no call is currently being made," a warning will appear on the user's screen and it is recommended to hang up the call immediately.
Google pointed out that this feature is built on Rich Communication Services (RCS), allowing other applications and enterprises to technically adopt similar solutions to improve the security of incoming calls on a larger scale.
Along with the release of the "Fake Call Detection" feature, Google also announced a number of Android platform updates. Among them, Google Photos is about to launch a new feature called "wardrobe", which allows users to archive daily outfits in the photo library, browse, mix and match and "virtually try on" different outfit combinations in the form of snapshots. The feature is scheduled to roll out next week to eligible users in the United States, India, and Brazil, with support for Android 10 and above.
In addition, Google Play Books has added a "Catch me up" function to help users quickly re-enter the storyline through a brief review after interrupting reading. Users can also highlight a certain paragraph of content and initiate questions to obtain interactive interpretations related to the paragraph. These functions will be available in some English books starting today.
Google has also expanded its "Circle to Search" capability to support identification and search of entire outfits. Users only need to circle a complete set of clothing on the screen, and the system can identify and search for all the items in it at once, without having to search for each item one by one. This update is now available on devices running Android 14 and supporting Circle to Search.