Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) continues to ensure the privacy of customers: the company has announced an update for Android OS that will automatically flag up a warning if the phone receives a suspected spam call.
The upgrade will come in the form of a new default app that will compare incoming caller’s number against an internal database. If something doesn’t add up, a red warning box will appear with the label “Suspected spam caller.” It will also let users block this kind of calls.
The app will also note whether the call is coming from a personal account or an office, although this perk only works if Google has access to contacts and calls.
How to use the new feature?
The security update is not coming in every Android OS, as the new feature will only be available for users with a Nexus or AndroidOne devices running Android Marshmallow 6.0 or more recent versions installed.
“Spam callers be gone! Today, we’re beginning to update your Google Phone app with spam protection on #Nexus and #AndroidOne devices to warn you about potential spam callers and give you the ability to block and report these numbers,” Google said in a Google+ post from its Nexus account.
The addition is enabled by default when customers install the latest version of the app, and can be turned off and on by accessing “Caller ID & spam protection option” in the Settings menu.
The update will gradually become eligible for the rest of the Android devices, Google said through the Play Store.
The service comes after a recent report which found that improper calls make up 20 percent of every call reported in the UK. The research found that younger users received between 11 and 20 marketing calls per month, whereas older and “more vulnerable” customers received at least 39 spam calls a month.
The FCC is tackling the robocall issue
As soon as an Android user is offered a timeshare off the coast of Veracruz or plead to subscribe to any sports magazine, they can label it a spam call. However, the tech giant is not the only one working on a solution against robocalls.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), unwanted robocalls and wireless text are the most common consumer complaint in America. To kick start a solution, the FCC began to archive these reports in a public file.
A new app named TrueCaller will block these numbers by implementing FCC’s weekly database. A worldwide 40 million user community also shares information about spam, fraud or harassment fraud, and the app’s algorithm works to verify the real caller ID.
The software is free, and it’s already available for Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone. Once installed, filtered calls will be blocked, or the app will warn the user not to pick up the phone.
The app will keep an especial tab named The Call Filter that allows personal submission of unwanted callers, while the Truecaller’s Top Spammers list inside the app holds the numbers that have been reported many times by the community.
Source: Nexus