Google Details Circle to Search Scam Checks for Android Text Messages

Google published consumer guidance on October 15, 2026 explaining how Android users can review suspicious text messages for scams with Circle to Search, which returns an AI Overview with guidance and suggested next steps before a user clicks a link or shares personal information. In a Safety & Security post on The Keyword, Google said Circle to Search on Android can review suspicious text messages to help identify potential scams.

To run the check, a user long-presses the home button or navigation bar on an Android device to activate Circle to Search, then draws a circle around the message in question. The feature then shows an AI Overview with guidance and insights, including suggested next steps; if the results show red flags, the post advises considering deleting the message and blocking the number.

A footnote on the post states that results, availability, and compatibility may vary. An article on Google’s Android site describes Circle to Search as a detector for text-message scams and smishing, the term for SMS phishing. According to the article, when a user circles a suspicious message,…