WhatsApp Beta Tests On-Device Scam Alert for Android

WhatsApp has launched beta testing for a new Scam Alert feature available to a limited group of Android users running version 2.26.34.1. The optional tool employs an on-device machine learning model to identify common scam patterns, including urgent financial demands and fraudulent job offers, in messages received from unknown contacts.

When the system detects a suspicious pattern, it displays a warning banner to the recipient. This allows the user to either mark the chat as trusted or block and report the account. To preserve end-to-end encryption and user privacy, Meta processes all data locally on the device instead of transmitting message content to its servers.

Users may voluntarily share their last five messages with the company to help improve the accuracy of the detection model. While the feature is currently restricted to select Android beta testers, Meta is expected to evaluate iOS availability after the initial testing phase. No official public release date has been provided.