Android is starting to win the battle against the iPhone in one area: avoiding fraudulent calls, text messages and questionable applications. The latest survey data and other research all support the same point: Google’s operating system, especially on newer devices, blocks more scams by design and does so earlier in the attack chain. Android is gaining the upper hand in the fight against scams as mobile scams grow in scale and sophistication. Members of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance have witnessed billions of dollars lost around the world in recent years as fraudsters use artificial intelligence to mimic voices, create automated agents impersonating tech support employees, and labor-intensive phishing lures to persuade you to provide private information. People are becoming more aware of when a scam is happening or not.
What the new YouGov data shows
In a recent Google and YouGov survey conducted in the United States, India and Brazil, Android users were 58% more likely than iPhone owners to say they had not received any fraudulent text messages in the past week. This trend was significantly more evident among Google phone users, who were 96% more likely than iPhone owners to not receive any fraudulent text messages. On the other hand, iPhone owners were 65% more likely to receive three or more scam text messages in a week. Perceptions were consistent: Nearly a fifth of iPhone owners (20%) rated their spam defenses as extremely or very secure, while 15% of Apple iOS users said their gadgets did little to protect against scam calls.
Why Android’s Defenses Hit Earlier in the Scam Chain
Android’s defense is not a single attribute but rather a stack. Google MessagesPhone by Google, GmailChrome and Play Protect now interact like a woven thread. They analyze abnormal behavior with in-device AI during calls, texts, emails, and apps before the scammer lures you in:
- AI flags risky texts within an active exchange in Messages, rather than afterward.
- The Phone app automatically detects mysterious callers and sends real-time warnings to the device if the conversation drifts towards suspicious requests, such as gift cards, cryptocurrencies or banking details. Call content remains on the device.
- Gmail filters 99.9% of spam and phishing attacks, with filters from large language models that improve detection of hard-to-detect attacks by an additional 20%.
- Chrome’s Safe Browsing provides a wall against questionable websites.
- Play Protect scans billions of apps, even the latest ones, to eliminate cheating or policy-violating apps, protecting you from unacceptable apps on the Play Store.
Independent research confirms Android’s lead in scam protection
Third-party estimates back up the survey: Counterpoint Research recently found that major modern Android flagship models deploy AI-based defenses across nine major layers, including network, devices, identity, messaging, browsing, and app security, while iOS is built defensively with fewer layers at present. This is essential because scams spread quickly across different mediums.
Leviathan Security Group testers came to the same conclusion, giving top marks to recent Android flagships for default scam prevention strength, to Pixels for leadership, and placing the latest iPhones slightly behind in combined effectiveness of calls, texts, and app protection. Their reviews mostly focus on real-world benchmarks, i.e. what you can get as a daily user without digging into settings or downloading additional apps.
Apple, of course, has not stood idly by. In addition to a broad combination of general and exception logic in its CallKit and MessageKit frameworks, iOS offers Silence Unknown Callers, spam reporting in Messages, live voicemail functionality for most US carriers, and maintains tight control over apps in its App Store. New communications security features can flag explicit photos and sensitive content, while Apple’s privacy architecture can significantly reduce exposure of sensitive data. However, many of the iPhone’s defenses rely on user opt-in, carrier tools, or third-party filters, and there is a lack of proactive cross-channel warnings by default. This confluence helps explain why more testing scams seem to be spreading to iPhones.
How to strengthen scam protections on Android
- Enable call screening and scam protection in the Phone app.
- Keep RCS features enabled in Messages.
- Keep Play Protect active.
- Keep your Google system and apps up to date.
- Be wary of incoming calls to pay or offer remote access, even if no advance warning appears on the device.
How to strengthen protections against scams on iPhone
- Activate the Silencing Unknown Callers feature.
- Enable SMS filtering.
- Enable “Report spam” in Messages.
- Explore reputable call blocking apps to fill this gap.
In any case, disregard the urgency of paying with gift cards and review urgent requests using official investigation tools.
Bottom line: Today, Android’s layered, AI-driven approach has reduced the scope of scams and reduced end-user concerns. In a competitive field, the system that detects new threats first and through as many channels as possible will ultimately be effective. Android currently has this advantage.
