Pixel phones could soon monitor outgoing calls for scams, too

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Google’s modern Pixel phones offer a Scam Detection feature that optionally monitors incoming calls for telltale signs of scams. Scam Detection is currently exclusive to incoming calls, but we’ve seen evidence that you might soon be able to opt into Scam Detection for outgoing calls, too.

In a recent beta version of the Phone by Google app, we spotted a flag that references the option to turn on Sharpie (an internal codename for the Scam Detection feature) for calls you initiate. We haven’t been able to activate Scam Detection for outgoing calls, but we know Google’s working on it.

Scam Detection works by monitoring the content of phone call audio for clues that the person on the other end may be a scammer. On Pixel 9 and newer, the feature is powered by Gemini. AI listening to your phone calls might sound a little unsavory, but Google’s documentation says the processing happens on-device and neither your phone call audio nor transcript is shared with Google. The feature also requires users to manually opt in.

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A flag in the beta version of Google’s Phone app makes it clear Google is working to expand the feature’s availability:

It makes sense Google would want to enable Scam Detection for outgoing calls, too — today, a scammer could hypothetically avoid being flagged by Scam Detection by having you initiate the call, rather than calling you directly.

We haven’t been able to try Scam Detection for outgoing calls, and we don’t know when the feature might roll out. We’ll be keeping an eye out for when Scam Detection for outgoing calls shows up in the wild.