In an Oct 15 post, Google said Circle to Search on Android can now review suspicious text messages. A user long-presses the home button or navigation bar, circles the message, and receives an AI Overview with guidance, insights and suggested next steps; if the result shows red flags, Google suggests deleting the message and blocking the number. The company framed the feature as a way to check a message before clicking a link or sharing personal information. The post does not publish accuracy figures or describe what data the review sends off the device.
Our takeThis lowers the cost of skepticism to one gesture, and the advice is conservative: delete and block rather than reply. The gap is evaluation - no false-positive or false-negative rates, and no statement on whether message text leaves the device. A scam classifier that over-flags trains users to ignore it; one that misses costs them money.