Google is enhancing its malware detection capabilities with new protections aimed at identifying increasingly sophisticated malicious actors.
The Google Play Protect service on Android is introducing an upgrade called live threat detection, which continuously monitors app behavior on your device to identify potentially harmful apps.
This update, first announced at Google I/O earlier this year, now alerts users in real-time if an app exhibits suspicious behavior.
Initially available to Pixel 6 and newer devices, this feature will be expanded to other Android phones from manufacturers such as Lenovo, OnePlus, Nothing, and Oppo in the coming months.
Live threat detection focuses on malware apps that are particularly adept at concealing their harmful intentions. Instead of only scanning for malicious code when an app is downloaded, Play Protect will continue to monitor app behavior after installation.
This allows it to catch malware that might initially remain inactive but later initiates malicious activities.
The detection process operates on-device through Android’s Private Compute Core, a privacy-focused infrastructure designed to keep user data secure. Users will receive real-time alerts if action is required.
In addition to live threat detection, Google is launching a scam call detection feature. Also revealed at Google I/O, this function uses on-device AI to analyze phone calls, identifying signs that the caller may be attempting a scam.
It flags calls that exhibit suspicious patterns or contain common scam requests, encouraging users to end the conversation if necessary.
Currently, this feature is only available to beta program members of the Phone by Google app on Pixel 6 and later devices (the program reached capacity as of this morning), with plans to roll it out to additional Android devices in the future.
