Study: Android blocks more scam texts than iOS, with Pixel and RCS leading

Google says its Android mobile operating system outpaces Apple’s iOS at detecting and blocking fraudulent messages. The search giant, working with research firm YouGov, reached that conclusion after a large-scale study across the United States, India, and Brazil.

The survey covered 5,000 smartphone users, and the results showed that Android owners were 58% less likely to encounter scam SMS than iPhone users. Google’s Pixel phones stood out: their owners reported seeing no suspicious texts almost twice as often as Apple device users, with a 96% difference. Numbers like these are likely to stoke the ongoing Android-versus-iPhone security debate.

The analysis also found that Android users generally express more confidence in their devices’ protection against phishing links—20% higher than among iPhone owners. At the same time, iPhone users were 1.5 times more likely to say their phones were completely unable to fend off such threats.

Google emphasized the important role of RCS (Rich Communication Services), an enhanced messaging standard—essentially a 5G SMS analogue. In the past month alone, the company said it blocked more than 100 million suspicious numbers attempting to send messages via RCS, which it presented as a meaningful step toward improving safety for Android users.

Taken together, the picture is clear: by foregrounding RCS and the standout Pixel results, Google is sharpening its security narrative against iOS.