According to TechCrunch, Google is stepping up its AI fraud protection in India with on-device scam detection using Gemini Nano for Pixel 9 devices and new screen-sharing alerts for financial apps like Navi, Paytm, and Google Pay. Digital fraud is exploding in India, with digital transaction frauds accounting for over half of all reported bank fraud in 2024—13,516 cases causing ₹5.2 billion ($58.61 million) in losses. Online scams caused an estimated ₹70 billion ($789 million) in damages just in the first five months of 2025. The on-device detection analyzes calls from unknown numbers without recording audio or sending data to servers, playing a beep to notify participants. However, it’s off by default and initially limited to English-speaking Pixel 9 users in a market where Android holds 96% share but Pixel devices had less than 1% in 2024.
Limited reach, big problem
Here’s the thing: Google‘s approach feels like bringing a teaspoon to fight a forest fire. The on-device scam detection only works on Pixel 9 devices and only for English speakers. In a country where Android dominates but Pixel market share is microscopic, and where most people don’t primarily use English, this is basically a pilot program disguised as a solution. Google confirmed to TechCrunch that warnings will be English-only too, which means even if someone manages to have both a Pixel 9 and English proficiency, the alerts might not be understood by everyone involved in the call.
Screen-sharing protection pilot
The screen-sharing alerts are slightly more promising since they’ll work on devices running Android 11 or later and eventually support Indian languages. But they’re starting with just three financial apps in a pilot program. Given that screen-sharing scams are a massive problem where fraudsters trick people into sharing their screens to steal OTPs and PINs, you’d think Google would want broader coverage faster. The feature does include a one-tap option to end calls and stop sharing, which is genuinely useful. But we’re talking about a country where digital payment adoption has exploded, and protection needs to scale accordingly.
Google’s broader fraud fight
Google isn’t completely asleep at the wheel here. Their Play Protect service blocked over 115 million installation attempts of predatory loan apps this year, and Google Pay surfaces more than a million weekly warnings for suspicious transactions. They’re also running the DigiKavach awareness campaign that’s reached 250 million people and working with the Reserve Bank of India on authorized lending app lists. But let’s be real—awareness campaigns and blocking sideloaded apps only go so far when the main problem often comes from apps that actually make it onto the Play Store itself.
The real issue: app store gaps
And this is where Google’s efforts start to look less impressive. The company—like Apple—has been repeatedly called out for allowing fake and misleading apps on the Play Store despite review processes meant to catch them. Police and security researchers have flagged investment and loan apps used in scams that remained available until intervention. When you’re trying to protect users from fraud but your own storefront is part of the problem, that’s a fundamental conflict. Google says they’re working to bring scam detection to non-Pixel Android phones, but without a timeline. Meanwhile, India’s digital fraud problem keeps growing, and most Android users are left with limited protection.
