Real-time scam detection is now available in beta for the Pixel Phone app

After the introduction on Wednesday, the new real-time Scam Detection feature is now available on the Pixel phone beta through the Google app.

Hold for Me, Direct My Call, Call Screen, and Call Notes are all available under the "Assistive" Scam Detection option when you open the Phone app's settings. Google explains that "Scam Detection will automatically run in the background of calls that have the potential to be scams," but you have to manually activate it. "Totally on-device and call content is not saved or recorded" is how it operates.

Your contacts are not automatically screened by Scam Detection. You will hear a "beep at the beginning of the call and every few minutes after to let the participants know that the call is being monitored" when you are on a call with "unknown numbers."

Your phone will vibrate and make noise to alert you to examine the screen if something is detected. There is a "End call" button and the option to indicate "Not a scam" next to the red "Suspicious activity detected for this call" warning.

Google claims that "Scam Detection is not 100% accurate and scammers constantly change their tactics" with reference to accuracy. This functionality is code-named "sharpie" by the Phone app.

According to Artem Russakovskii, this is being made available to users who have signed up for the Phone by Google beta with version 154. While the Pixel 6 and later models use "other Google machine learning models," the Pixel 9 series uses Gemini Nano to power Scam Detection.