GoKawiilTL;DR Google has detailed a long list of Android security and privacy upgrades for 2026, including protections against banking scam calls, device theft, malware, and fake Android builds.
Android 17 will add new privacy features like temporary precise location sharing, improved contact access controls, and stronger Advanced Protection safeguards.
Google is also expanding AI-powered threat detection, adding APK malware scanning in Chrome.
Google has taken to The Android Show I/O Edition to drop a barrage of very important announcements, including a whole new category of laptops called Googlebooks, a new agentic AI approach for smartphones with Gemini Intelligence, multiple new Android Auto features, and more. Among the announcements, Google also detailed several new and previously known Android security features that users can expect to roll out this year.
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In light of the evolving threat landscape and the increasingly sophisticated tricks bad actors use to trap Android users, Google is making some welcome updates to existing Android features, including scam call protection, Live Threat Detection, Theft Protection, and others. Many of these features will roll out with Android 17. Here’s everything Google has announced and when you can expect to get it on your Android devices.
New security features for Android
1. Android will automatically end spoofed banking scam calls
Google is introducing verified financial calls to Android, a feature we first spotted in an APK teardown back in April. The new anti-scam tool is designed to stop callers from impersonating banks and financial institutions. If Android detects that a call claiming to come from your bank is fake, the system will automatically end that call even before the scammer can get through.
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