SEOUL, Jan 31, 2026, 17:59 KST
- New evidence suggests Samsung’s Galaxy S26 could support Google’s Android CallCore calling-protection app
- That support could pave the way for Google’s Pixel-only Scam Detection alerts on Samsung’s next flagship
- Rollout details remain unclear, including regions, carrier/SIM limits and which dialer app Samsung would ship
Samsung’s next Galaxy S26 phones could be in line for Google’s Pixel-only scam-call protection after new evidence surfaced pointing to Android CallCore support on at least one model, Android Authority reported. (Android Authority)
The shift matters because call fraud has turned into a daily nuisance, and Google has kept its most aggressive, on-device call protections closest to the Pixel line. If Samsung ships similar tools on its top-tier Galaxy devices, it would narrow one of the practical gaps Pixel fans cite when they talk about why they stick with Google’s phones.
It could also deepen a Samsung-Google software partnership that has been uneven across core apps. Dialer software is sticky: it touches carrier features, emergency calling behavior, and what data flows where.
Android Authority said it obtained Galaxy S26 Ultra log files indicating the phone carries a software “feature flag” — a system switch that signals support — for Android CallCore, using the marker com.google.android.apps.callcore.SUPPORTED. The site said that flag is needed for the CallCore app to install and run as more than a normal user download.
Google lists Android CallCore on the Play Store as a Google LLC app that is “included with your device as infrastructure to support phone-calling based features,” and its latest update notes “the ability to identify Scam calls.” The listing also says the app collects no data and shares none with third parties. (Sklep Google Play)
Today, Google says its Scam Detection feature “only works on Google Pixel devices.” Google’s support page says it is available on Pixel 6 and newer in the United States, and on Pixel 9 and later (excluding Pixel 9a) in Australia, Canada, India, Ireland and the UK, adding that it requires a SIM card from the country where it is used. Google also says processing is done on-device and that no conversation audio or transcription is stored or sent to Google servers. (Pomoc Google)
Google’s broader call screening feature — where a phone answers an unknown caller and shows a live transcript — is also tightly gated. Google says automatic Call Screen works on all Pixel phones in the U.S., while manual Call Screen is available in a list of countries and, in the U.S. and Canada, on selected non-Pixel Android devices. (Pomoc Google)
Another tech site, Samsung-focused Gadget Hacks, framed the CallCore trail as a sign the Galaxy S26 may get Google-style call screening to blunt spam calls, though it also treated the feature as unconfirmed. (Gadget Hacks)
A week earlier, Android Authority reported it had found Galaxy S26 model numbers and a “Sharpie” codename reference tied to Scam Detection inside a Google Phone app build, raising the question of whether Samsung would preload Google’s dialer or try to hook the feature into its own. Neither Google nor Samsung has announced such a change. (Android Authority)
The main risk is that the trail goes cold. APK teardowns and log-file clues often point to experiments that never ship, and Google’s own documentation still draws hard lines around which devices and regions get these calling protections.
There is also a sensitivity problem: call-handling tools sit close to user privacy. This week, Google disabled “Take a Message” and some next-generation Call Screen functions on older Pixel phones after a bug that could leak background audio to callers, with a Google community manager saying the change was made “out of an abundance of caution,” The Verge reported. (The Verge)
For now, the evidence amounts to groundwork — an app with new “identify scam calls” capability and signs of device-level support on an unreleased Samsung flagship. Whether that turns into a consumer feature, and in which countries, will likely depend on what Samsung is willing to ship by default and what Google is prepared to support beyond Pixel.
