Google brings anti-phishing checks to Gmail for iOS

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Gmail iPhone
Don't be fooled into clicking dangerous links.
Photo: Google

Google has updated its Gmail app for iOS to introduce anti-phishing security checks. The app automatically detects suspicious links in your emails, then warns you that they might be dangerous when you tap them.

Phishing is one of the easiest tricks a scammer can pull off. They simply have to create an email that looks genuine and send it out to thousands of people. Chances are, someone will be fooled into handing over their login credentials for a site like iCloud or PayPal.

Google has been trying to fight this with anti-phishing security checks. It’s a feature that’s been available on the web for some time, and the company first brought it to mobile back in May inside Gmail for Android. Now it’s available on iOS, too.

The app automatically detects suspicious links inside your emails. If you tap them, it warns you that the link leads to an “untrusted site,” and you’ll have to tap a “proceed” button to continue. “Only proceed if you’re confident there’s no risk,” Google says.

If you tap on a link that Google knows is dangerous, its warning gets a lot more serious.

“The site you are trying to visit has been identified as a forgery, intended to trick you into disclosing financial, personal or other sensitive information,” it reads. Google will allow you to continue, but you do so “at your own risk.”

You can download the latest version of the Gmail app for iOS from the App Store now.

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