this post was submitted on 16 May 2025
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More than half of Americans reported receiving at least one scam call per day in 2024. To combat the rise of sophisticated conversational scams that deceive victims over the course of a phone call, we introduced Scam Detection late last year to U.S.-based English-speaking Phone by Google public beta users on Pixel phones.

We use AI models processed on-device to analyze conversations in real-time and warn users of potential scams. If a caller, for example, tries to get you to provide payment via gift cards to complete a delivery, Scam Detection will alert you through audio and haptic notifications and display a warning on your phone that the call may be a scam.

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[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 25 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (2 children)

Part of the reason I haven't yet moved away from Google services on my pixel is because of the call screening and anti-spam features. I screen unknown callers pretty much all the time so Google is listening if they call me anyway. I'm fine with that, knowing A. That the callers get a heads up that they're talking to an AI and being recorded and B. That the ones who are human and trying to scam me generally don't call back once they know the line is being actively recorded.

There's no feature parity for this on any of the roms I would move to. Taking it a step further is unnecessary for me, and I'll probably opt out. But I can fully understand why someone might want it (for their elderly family members for instance).

[–] feyded1020@lemmy.world 9 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

So far as I know, if your device uses their Gemini Nano LLM, it doesn't reach back to their servers at all unless you OPT IN to the 'Help service inprove'.

This feature though and a few other calling features has made me switch from iPhone single handedly, I was receiving 6-10 spam calls a day, now I see none because they're screened in the background. It's fantastic. I'm hooked on these Pixel features and only hope more move to becoming on device features with the ability to opt in to sending certain things off device.

[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

So, I have several legacy Google Assistant compatible devices that do not work with Google's new AI. As a result I haven't switched over to Gemini for pretty much anything and I probably won't. I'm currently building a Home Assistant system to take the place of Google Assistant when it finally sunsets but the going is slow (I have limited time to dedicate to that specifically at the moment). But for phone specific use, I'm taking the wait and see approach.

[–] feyded1020@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Home Assistant is such an awesome tool. I use it every day and shamefully have it linked to my Google Home so Gemini can turn on and off devices when prompted. Aside from that, I could just go the route of setting up a local LLM on my server and having Home Assistant be my new assistant on device so it doesn't use Google at all.

I definitely recommend Home Assistant though, between the iPhone users and now myself on Android in our home, it makes everything appear native to the end user. Now I just use Zigbee and Zwave devices for everything since they're more reliable and much cheaper.

[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

My biggest issue right now is trying to figure out what I need/want to work vs things I don't need. This list is one I've been keeping of things that I want it to do/be compatible with:

Weather Calendar News/RSS Feed Light Panel Media Panel Search Query Panel Use of Voice controls Singular touchscreen hub and android phone Works with Google home max speakers and Google nest mini speakers Chromecast equivalent functionality

It's based on the things I use Google Assistant for daily or at the very least weekly. Most all of it can be done with an android tablet and my raspberry pi. But implementing it to be the way I want isn't as simple (hasn't been as simple for me) and I think that's down to following guides for a lot of things that weren't necessarily intended to work together cohesively.

[–] pyr0ball@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

You can get most of these features with a Google voice number and use it on any forwarded number

[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago

I have a Google voice number. You actually can't. You can get spam filtering which works sort of but definitely not in the same way. I have never had a Voice call use Google's call screening on graphene os for instance because it doesn't work. I have graphene os running on a pixel 8 pro for the purposes of seeing what works and doesn't work to see if I can ever daily drive it. I like graphene os a lot but rely too much on certain Google specific android features and that's what my first comment was generally talking about.

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 7 points 7 hours ago

More AI testing...

[–] Sunflier@lemmy.world 11 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

Great, more AI bloat from Google that is now listeningin on my calls? How do I disable?

[–] Dozzi92@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Disable? No. But call everyone and everything cunts to poison the AI? Works for me.

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 9 points 9 hours ago

Kinda cool, on device and hopefully doesn't call back to Google then I'm fine with it

[–] hoss@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 11 hours ago

I have graphing OS. I still get a ton of spam phone calls a day.

I'm apparently not enough of a software developer to figure out how to use SpamBlocker app. Anybody have any suggestions?

[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 52 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Jokes on them. I don't have phone conversations

[–] morgunkorn@discuss.tchncs.de 23 points 16 hours ago (9 children)

and when i do, they're not in English

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[–] plz1@lemmy.world 44 points 18 hours ago (9 children)

Nice, wholesale illegal wire tapping. It's OK, it's legal because it's AI and Google is totally not storing any recordings. They say this is all on-device, but that's an "oops" or equivalent from them hoovering up recordings of every phone call you use one of their ~~surveillance endpoints~~ phones on.

heavy /s

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[–] lupusblackfur@lemmy.world 149 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (22 children)

No, no, Fuck You, no!!

I will have no phone that employs "Counterfeit Conciousness" to listen to every fucking word of every fucking conversation leading to (among others):

  • Further training
  • Data retention of complete call content somewhere (waiting to be hacked)
  • Possible reports to LEO (or worse)
  • ...whatever else I can't think of just now...

Fuck right off with this.

This solidifies for me I will never own a Pixel phone.

And, if this becomes ubiquitous in Android, I'll have to rethink that, too.

Doesn't mean I'll necessarily go to iOS; more likely completely rethink having a phone at all.

Fuck Google entirely. Don't be Evil my ass.

🙄 🤡 🖕 🖕

[–] shekau@lemmy.today 5 points 6 hours ago

Pixel is the only device that is supported by GrapheneOS (sadly), so you can own Pixel just for installing grapheneOS on it.

[–] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

So, it's on device, which negates many of the above worries. Does that change things? I'm all good with private AI, personally. Slippery slope and all, though...

[–] muntedcrocodile@lemm.ee 34 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

This solidifies for me I will never own a Pixel phone.

Sounds like a pixel phone is exactly what u want just u want GrapheneOS on it.

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