Recently, a report by Google has given claims that Android based users are less prone to scam messages and calls as compared with the iPhone users due to their advanced AI based protecting features.
The results are part of the bigger campaigns by Google to demonstrate the security mechanisms that have been integrated into the Android platform.
The Way Scam Protections of Android Work
Google claims that Android devices detect more than 10 billion suspected spam messages and calls every month, this is enabled by the built in mechanisms that take action even before a user has even had a glimpse of the information.The core elements include:
- On-device artificial intelligence execution: Android messaging and calling services analyze the trends of possible scam activity without transmitting any personal information to servers.
- Call screening and message filtering: Unknown numbers and suspicious text senders. These are screened or blocked automatically. The safety check of Google also erased more than 100 million suspicious RCS numbers during one month.
- The user survey support: According to a Google-commissioned survey of 5,000 users in the US, India, and Brazil, Android users were found to have been 58 times more likely to have had zero scam texts in the past week, as compared to iPhone users.
The opposite held true with iPhone users, who were 65% to claim they had received three or more spam messages in a week.
Google also refers to an independent study conducted by other companies such as Counterpoint Research and Leviathan Security Group that established that Android devices had wider protection over fraud detection categories than that of iOS.
To the users of smartphones, it is very easy to state that, to a certain degree, the embedded guards within Android may minimize the number of fraudulent requests entering the mailbox or the call history.
That in itself would minimize danger and disappointment.
With a few qualifications, however:
- These are not independent large scale audits of both platforms, they rely on user reported data and publicly published measures of the company. The report by Google is based on the Google telemetry and financed research.
- This market research does not automatically indicate that iPhones are insecure or that Android is immortal. There are other areas where iOS devices are also very secure.
- Defense against scams requires more than protection on a platform by platform basis, user behavior, application permissions, and even awareness all contribute significantly to staying safe.
What to do no matter which platform
Regardless of Android or iPhone, the steps required to secure yourself are relatively similar:
- Turn on spam blockers and block unknown numbers in your call and message settings on the phone.
- Do not open unanticipated links or provide personal information to unwanted callers or individuals who have sent you a text.
- Put in long passwords and biometric locks, and ensure your computer’s software is updated.
- Do not trust messages where they want you to take immediate action, request OTPs, or say that you have won a prize.
Simply put, although according to the report of Google, Android users might experience fewer spam messages than iPhone users today, the greater understanding is that smart practices and attention can be crucial inasmuch as the device is produced.
By keeping your guard up and employing the tools provided to you on your phone, you will be able to hugely lessen your chances of being a victim of a scam, irrespective of whether you are using Android or iOS.
