GOOGLE has rolled out a new feature that detects criminals trying to trick you over the phone – and it works using your watch.
It's an extension of an existing scam-spotting trick that's available on smartphones too.
has now rolled out Scam Detection on its Pixel Watch smartwatches.
The AI-powered feature was , warning you if you're being conned live as it happens.
And now it'll work on smartwatches too, so you can be alerted if you're making a hands-free call using headphones or speakerphone.
“This AI-powered feature helps detect conversation patterns commonly used by , right as they happen,” Google explained.
“Your Pixel Watch alerts you to a scam mid-call when it receives a Bluetooth signal from your .
“So if you're on the go, you can be alerted to a scam call without needing to take out your phone.”
Currently Scam Detection for smartwatches will only work on a Google Pixel Watch 2 or 3 that is connected to a Google Pixel 9 phone or newer.
You'll also need to be in the US for now, and making calls in English.
CALLED OUT
Google's Scam Detection feature is designed to work in real-time to expose crooks.
On phones, you'll be warned with a pop-up, sound, and even a physical “haptic” buzz.
“An audible beep at the start of the call and every few minutes is heard if you have the Scam detection turned on,” Google explained.
“It automatically runs in the background of calls that could be scams.
“If the likelihood of a scam is high, it alerts you with notification, sound, and vibration. You can dismiss the notification or end the call using your watch.”
The feature is off by default, so you'll need to activate it manually.
You can turn it on by going to Phone > More > Settings > Scam Detection and toggling the feature on.
Of course it can't guarantee that it'll catch every scammer, so you still need to keep your wits about you.
It all works using artificial intelligence to work out if you're talking to a dodgy person or not.
“We use AImodelsprocessed on-device to analyze conversations in real-time and warn users of potential scams,” said Google product manager Lyubov Farafonova.
“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.”
Scam Detection won't activate when you're speaking to contacts.
And it doesn't record your conversations for good – instead, Google says the audio is “processed ephemerally” to keep your chats secure.
You can turn it off at any time including during a phone call.
TEXT BEST THING?
It's only available in the US for now, but it could eventually make it to the UK.
And there's a similar feature that Brits can use called .
This will flag up when you're having a text chat with scammers in the Google Messages app.
It's only available on Pixel phones initially, but Google has hinted that it could land on other Android devices too eventually.
