The upcoming “Galaxy S26” phones from Samsung are preparing to be the first phones other than “Pixel” phones to benefit from Google’s advanced technology to detect fraudulent calls, in a step aimed at enhancing the security and privacy of Android phone users.
According to what was published by the “android authority” website, the model numbers of the “Galaxy S26” series were discovered within a version of the “Phone by Google” application, in addition to references to the code name “Sharpie”, which is the name that Google uses to refer to the “phishing detection” feature, which allows users to receive immediate alerts when receiving calls suspected of being fraudulent.
This feature currently works on Pixel phones in two different ways. “Pixel 9” phones and later versions rely on the “Gemini Nano” model that works directly on the device, while older versions use machine learning models that work locally without the need to send data to external servers.
The appearance of the “Galaxy S26” model numbers alongside the code names of the “Pixel 9” and “Pixel 10” phones indicates that Samsung will likely rely on the “Gemini Nano” model to detect fraudulent calls directly on the device, which will enhance response speed and improve the level of privacy.
This feature relies on an application from Google known as “android CallCore”, which is available through the Google Play Store, and runs call functions on supported devices. Advanced capabilities have recently been added to this application to identify nuisance calls, and records of the upcoming “Galaxy S26 Ultra” phone indicate that it already supports the application.
From a privacy perspective, this development is a significant improvement compared to third-party services such as Truecaller, because processing takes place locally on the device rather than sharing user data with third parties.
The question remains as to the availability of this feature geographically, as it has not been determined whether the fraudulent call detection feature will be available in all countries or whether it will be limited to specific markets, as is the case with Pixel phones, as it is currently available in the United States, Australia, Canada, India, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
