Galaxy S26 could be the first to get Google's AI Scam Detection feature

Google has built a pretty useful AI-powered Scam Detection feature that it has kept exclusive to Pixel devices for now. This may be about to change.

It has emerged that the Galaxy S26 series might be the first non-Pixel lineup to get this feature from Google, and users will certainly love to have it on their new Samsung flagship.

Google's Scam Detection feature works in the background to prevent scams as they happen. It protects the user during phone calls, in text messages, as well as messaging apps. If the feature detects that a call you're on could be a scam, it will alert you with a notification, sound, and vibration.

This AI-powered feature works based on the knowledge collected about how scammers dupe their victims. On some Pixel devices, this feature is powered by Gemini Nano on the device while on others it uses Google's on-device machine learning models.

Android Authority has found references in the Phone by Google app version 206.0.857916353 that include the model numbers for the three Galaxy S26 models. The references highlight the possibility that this feature may use Gemini Nano for Scam Detection on the Galaxy S26 series as well.

While it would be good to have this feature on the Galaxy S26 series, it's not entirely clear if it will be enabled on the device straight out of the box. That's because Galaxy devices use the Samsung Phone app as the default calling app, not the Phone by Google app.

So either the Galaxy S26 series will come with Google's Phone app as the default dialer or users will be left to decide on their own if they want to download it from the Play Store and set it as the default. It's an unnecessary step that would limit the reach of this device, as the vast majority of users would remain unaware that their device can offer them superior protection against scams.