You need this update now.
getty
Google confirms a new update is coming to your Android phone to stop hackers gaining access to your accounts. This addresses the billion dollar threat behind repeated FBI warnings. The hope now is that Google’s update locks out attackers.
“Android uses the best of Google AI and our advanced security expertise to tackle mobile scams from every angle,” Google says. That includes circle to search scam detection in messages and now a defense to stop hackers tapping your bank accounts.
ForbesFeds Warn iPhone And Android Users—Change Apple, Google And Microsoft PasswordsBy Zak Doffman
Google’s recent survey that found Android users were 58% more likely than iOS users to report they had not received any scam texts in the prior week is misleading. The survey was conducted before iPhone’s own anti-scam defenses went live with iOS 26. But Google is undoubtedly leading the way here, doing more than Apple.
Attacks increasingly “trick users into sharing their phone screen while on the phone to visit malicious websites, revealing sensitive information,” and that needs to be stopped. The FBI’s “phantom hacker” warning highlight the dangers in screen sharing, revealing where a victim’s money is saved enabling hackers to target those specific accounts.
Google is co-opting banks, meaning “when you launch a participating financial app while screen sharing and on a phone call with a number that is not saved in your contacts, your Android device will automatically warn you about the potential dangers and give you the option to end the call and to stop screen sharing with just one tap.”
It’s rolling out by geography and is still in its pilot stage. The hope and expectation is that this will be available everywhere in the not too distant future.
ForbesGoogle Starts Sharing Your Texts With Your Boss—What About WhatsApp?By Zak Doffman
Google’s on-screen warning “includes a 30-second pause period before you’re able to continue, which helps break the ‘spell’ of the scammer’s social engineering, disrupting the false sense of urgency and panic commonly used to manipulate you into a scam.”
It should be obvious, but don’t ever share your screen with an unsolicited caller. They might ask you to do so on WhatsApp or by installing an app or software on your device. Do not do any of these things. You shouldn’t take unsolicited calls from banks, tech support or customer services and should always call back. That’s the best way to stay safe. Clearly, if you ever see Google’s new warning, make sure you tap to stop.