Put an End to Scam Calls with New Smartphone Tech
Many people are fed up with the constant bombardment of scam calls. However, with the advent of advanced technology, a solution may finally be on the horizon. One particular feature that has been effective in dealing with this issue is the Scam Detection feature which has been traditionally only available on Pixel phones. Now, there's a possibility it may be available on other devices soon.
Scam Detection Feature
The Scam Detection feature, as the name implies, identifies and warns the user of potential scam calls. It's a powerful tool that has been exclusive to Pixel phones. But recent findings hint at the possibility of this feature being made available on other devices. It seems the Galaxy S26 Ultra could be one of the first non-Pixel Android phones to get this feature.
Previously, some evidence was unearthed that hinted at this possibility. This information was found during a thorough examination of the software of the Galaxy S26 series. The model numbers of the Galaxy S26 appeared in a particular version of the Phone application. Along with these model numbers, a line of code referencing "Sharpie," the codename for the Scam Detection feature, was also discovered.
How Scam Detection Works
The Scam Detection feature operates differently based on the model of the Pixel phone. For the Pixel 9 series (excluding the Pixel 9a) and Pixel 10 series in certain countries, Scam Detection is powered by an on-device technology called Gemini Nano via AI Core. Other Pixel models in the US use Google's own machine learning models.
Considering that the model numbers of Samsung's Galaxy S26 series were found alongside the codenames for Pixel 9 and 10 series, it's plausible that the Galaxy S26 series could also use on-device Gemini Nano to power the Scam Detection feature.
Introducing Android CallCore App
There's more to this development. It appears that the Scam Detection feature could be made available on non-Pixel devices through a new app named Android CallCore. This app serves as infrastructure to support phone-calling-based features. Its latest update has added the capacity to identify scam calls.
However, this app can only be installed on devices with a specific feature flag. Recent log files obtained from the Galaxy S26 Ultra reveal that this phone has the same feature flag. This finding suggests that if Scam Detection becomes available on the Galaxy S26 series, it's likely that it could be extended to other Android devices as well.
Testing the Waters
In a recent test, a colleague tried installing the app on his rooted Pixel. Initially, he received a device incompatibility warning, but was able to bypass this. However, he encountered another obstacle, a warning that the item was not available in his country.
It's important to note that while this evidence predicts that the Scam Detection feature may be made available on other devices in the future, this is based on work-in-progress code. As such, it remains to be seen whether this feature will make it to a public release.
Regardless, it's exciting to think about the potential of this technology and the positive impact it could have on reducing the number of scam calls that smartphone users have to deal with on a daily basis.