For most people, ScamShield is the right choice.

AntiScam Pango is an experimental app for extra protection against scams from SMS, WhatsApp and Telegram. This requires deeper access to your phone (like reading your notifications) but processes everything on your phone to keep your messages private. AntiScam Pango is currently Android-only and recommended for newer phones (8GB RAM and above). As some of the features in AntiScam Pango mature, we may explore building them into the ScamShield app.

If you use both, they work in different ways:

• ScamShield blocks calls and filters SMS from numbers already reported as scams, stopping known offenders before they reach you. You can also use ScamShield to check if you are unsure, and to directly report scams to protect others.

• AntiScam Pango reads the wording of messages as they arrive, so it can flag suspicious messages from senders that have not yet been reported.

AntiScam Pango provides an additional layer of protection by detecting scam signals even when a number has not yet been reported, complementing ScamShield’s check and reporting capabilities.