Samsung Galaxy S26 just got a new tool to protect you from scam calls and texts — here's how it works

The Samsung Galaxy S26 series has finally landed, with Galaxy Unpacked revealing just about everything there is to know about the phone. Among the many features that Samsung has included on the three phones is something that originally debuted on Pixel phones last year: Scam Detection.

For those who don't know, this is a Gemini AI feature that can analyze calls and text messages in real time. If Gemini detects anything it deems fraudulent, you get alerted with a vibration and a warning chime. That way, you shouldn't miss the notification pointing out that someone could be potentially trying to scam you.

Other things to note are that Scam Detection only applies to unknown numbers, rather than anyone already in your contact list. It's also not switched on by default, which means you have to go out of your way to make sure you're better protected.

According to Samsung, the feature will work in much the same way on Galaxy S26 as it does on Pixel phones. Which also includes keeping all analyzed data on your device, with nothing uploaded to the cloud in any way. However, Samsung will limit the rollout to the U.S. for the time being, and that means it'll only be available in English.

Scam Detection is getting some upgrades too

Google's taken this opportunity to improve what Scam Detection can do, which is probably a good thing since Pixels first got this feature a year ago.

Apparently, Gemini will be able to "better detect the subtle conversational patterns used in job offer scams or sophisticated romance baiting scams." Considering these kinds of scams rarely involve a single one-off attempt, and can continue over several days or weeks, extra protection is particularly important.

Anyone who knows someone who has fallen for these types of scams will know that sometimes protecting them is easier said than done. So, making sure they have the tools to help protect them from scams, even if it seems like they don't want to be protected, is an important step to help them stay safe. And every little bit helps.

If you want to know more about the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, be sure to check out our Samsung Galaxy S26 hands-on and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra hands-on. Or check out our Galaxy Unpacked live blog for a rundown of all the news and announcements from the show.

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