Android Fake Call Detection: How It Works and How to Use It

Scammers often fake the caller ID of someone you know, such as a family member or your bank, so the call looks safe. Android now checks for this. Google calls the feature fake call detection: when a call shows up as one of your saved contacts, your phone quietly confirms that the contact's real phone is actually making the call. If it is not, you see a warning to hang up. Google describes it as "an industry-first protection that can detect and flag suspected spoofed calls."

The feature launched on Pixel in June and is reaching more Android phones now. Samsung is also expanding its own AI Scam Detection with the stable One UI 9 update, so it helps to know which protection does what.

How fake call detection works

1. When a contact calls you, their phone sends a silent confirmation signal to yours over RCS, which is end-to-end encrypted.
2. If your phone does not get that signal, it pings the contact's real phone to ask whether it is calling you.
3. If the real phone says no, your screen shows a warning that the call may be fake.

None of this needs your input, and the call content is never checked. Google says the feature "works automatically behind the scenes."

What you need

Both you and the person calling need:

• Android 12 or newer
• The Phone by Google, Contacts and Google Messages apps installed
• RCS chats turned on in Google Messages

The check works only when the spoofed number belongs to someone in your contacts who also meets these requirements. A scammer who fakes an unknown number or a business line will not trigger it, so the usual caution still applies.

How to turn it on or off

Fake call detection is on by default on supported phones, starting with Pixel and rolling out to other Android phones worldwide. To turn it off, open Phone by Google, tap the three-dot menu, go to Settings, and switch off the fake call detection option. We recommend leaving it on: it only steps in when a call that claims to be a saved contact cannot be confirmed.

Fake call detection vs Scam Detection

The two work together. Fake call detection stops a scammer who pretends to be your sister. Scam Detection catches a stranger who claims to be your bank and asks you to move money. Samsung is bringing Scam Detection to more Galaxy phones and more countries, including India, Canada and Japan, as part of the stable One UI 9 rollout. For other ways scammers target your devices, see our guide to fake GTA 6 download scams, and if you want a dedicated spam blocker on top, see these Truecaller alternatives.

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