Pixel Update Brings Scam Warnings Into Your Keyboard
Android 17 QPR1 and the September Pixel Drop add scam alerts while you chat, plus warnings in nine more countries.
Google began sending Android 17 QPR1 to Pixel phones on September 15. It arrived alongside the September Pixel Drop, a bundle of new features. The most useful change helps you spot scams.
Scam Warnings While You Type
Scam Detection now shows warnings in the Gboard suggestion strip while you chat. If a conversation looks like a scam, you get a heads-up right above your keyboard. Google says this is processed on the phone. For now it works on the Pixel 6 and newer in the US.
Scam warnings for chat notifications also expanded to nine more countries. They are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Singapore and the UK. The feature now supports six more languages too.
Other Changes
- More blur effects in menus like the volume panel and power menu.
- A new look for the media player and a keyboard tile in Quick Settings.
- A redesigned VIPs widget for one-tap calls and texts to your key people.
- Pause Point, which adds a short pause before you open apps that eat your time, now works on the Pixel 6 and newer.
- Pixel Watch 3 and 4 get a one-handed pinch gesture to scroll alerts.
Which Phones Get It
The update covers the Pixel 6 through the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, plus the Pixel Tablet and the first Pixel Fold. It also carries the September security patch, which is a good reason to install it by itself.
How to Update
Go to Settings, then System, then System update. After it installs, check that Scam Detection is turned on in your Phone and Messages settings.
Questions Readers Ask
Which Pixel phones get this update?
The Pixel 6 through the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, plus the Pixel Tablet and the first Pixel Fold.
Does Scam Detection read my messages on a server?
Google says the Gboard warnings are processed on the phone itself.
Where This Came From
We confirmed the facts in this story against these reports. The words above are our own.
