Google scam detection not supporting your Android phone? Try these 5 apps

Spam calls are among the most irritating problems for smartphone users, and this problem goes beyond simple annoyance. Indeed, fraudsters also use unknown numbers to try to steal users’ personal or banking data, as well as to convince their victims to send money. Google itself has added AI-based scam call detection, primarily to Pixel phones.

This feature can analyze a call and alert you when it identifies common scam patterns. The problem is that not all Android phones support Google’s scam detection, even though the company has expanded its availability to other devices. So if you don’t want to depend on the basic filters that every phone has or keep getting those spam calls, the best alternative is to choose a new app.

Fortunately, several spam call prevention tools are available for Android, helping to identify these suspicious calls and block numbers known for scams. For this reason, we have put together a few options that you can download to your phone that, although they work differently from Google, still reduce your chances of falling for a scam.

Truecaller is one of the best apps to prevent unwanted calls for anyone using an Android phone. Indeed, it uses a large collaborative database created by users themselves to try to identify most of the spam that a user may receive, whether it is fraud or even automated calls. Most of the more advanced features are Premium, but users on the Free plan can use Caller ID to identify the name of the person calling, for example.

This is especially useful for anyone who wants to know how to identify and block No Caller ID and unknown calls, since Truecaller also allows you to automatically block some of these numbers.

On the other hand, aside from offering certain features only on paid plans, this app also relies heavily on its user base to identify spam. This means that false positives may occur or new numbers may slip through the spam filter. Even with this, it is important to be careful when receiving calls from unknown numbers.

Malwarebytes Scam Guard works in a slightly different way, as it does not rely solely on a database to identify whether a call is spam or not. Instead, the feature lets you send messages, links, phone numbers, or even screenshots for analysis, helping you determine if this type of content has common signs of scams.

Since the scam doesn’t always start with a call, this is a useful app to have as a complement, as it can help when someone tries to carry out the scam via email, WhatsApp or something similar. This, along with other ways Android offers to identify suspicious messages, makes Malwarebytes Scam Guard a good option for users.

However, one of the drawbacks is that it does not automatically analyze the data. In most cases, you must manually upload suspicious content for the assessment to take place. However, this service is part of Malwarebytes’ premium protection package, so interested users must pay a subscription.

Another alternative for anyone who wants to reduce unwanted calls on Android phones, YouMail offers some very useful benefits, especially in the free version. If a number is known for scams or unwanted calls, the app already blocks those calls without charging anything extra. It also offers caller ID. This way, you can have more information to decide whether or not you should accept your next call, or continue it if you have already picked up.

YouMail also offers features such as Fraudulent Text Identification, using artificial intelligence to analyze received messages and identify possible fraud attempts. Other tools this app offers include Visual Voicemail and Safe Dialer, which lets you verify numbers before returning the call.

On the other hand, more advanced features fall short of paid plans. Call screening, for example, may ask the person to identify themselves before transferring the call to the user, but this is not part of the free plan.

Another alternative focused in particular on calls, Hiya Spam Blocker helps the user identify suspicious calls before you even decide to answer your smartphone. In the free plan, you can find features like caller ID for businesses or numbers known for spam, as well as alerts for calls associated with fraud. Notably, on Android, the app still allows you to report suspicious numbers, thereby updating the database so that future calls become safer.

In addition to this identification, Hiya also offers tools for anyone looking for ways to block unwanted calls. In paid plans, for example, the app can automatically block certain numbers considered spam and offers a Call Screener, which first answers unknown calls to find out who is calling and why before forwarding them to the user.

Additionally, some more sophisticated spam detection features have regional limits, so the experience with some Hiya tools may change significantly depending on the country in which you use them.

For all those who are looking for an alternative to block unwanted calls but don’t want to pay for it, should I answer? is probably the best choice. It has a good free base layer of protection, allowing the user to check unknown numbers that the community itself maintains in a database. When someone calls, the app checks to see if that number has a lot of negative reviews and can warn the user before they decide to answer.

This database uses anonymous reviews from users themselves, who can classify numbers after receiving a call. This is a different approach to Google’s scam detection on Android, which uses artificial intelligence to look for signs of fraud during a conversation.

Should I respond? mainly focuses on number reputation, and since it stores the database on the phone itself, you can use the app even without an available internet connection.

When compiling the apps on this list, we prioritized options that you can install on different Android phones and that offer specific features for dealing with unwanted calls. This includes caller ID, suspicious number identification, auto-blocking, and databases powered by user reports. We also avoided mentioning solutions exclusive to specific models, since the goal is to recommend accessible alternatives for multiple phones.

Since most of these apps focus their protection on calls, this is the main criterion for comparison. However, we have also considered additional features, such as fraudulent text detection, link analysis and suspicious screenshots, where available.

Additionally, we considered free plans, regional limits, subscription-exclusive features, and similar factors. Additionally, since many of these apps work with databases, they are not immune to errors, as new numbers can always slip through the filter and reach you.