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Google Play Protect is getting even more powerful, with new features designed to keep your Android device safe from malware and scams. One major update is the ability to automatically disable an app’s permissions if it’s deemed potentially harmful. This means that even if a malicious app manages to sneak onto your device, it won’t be able to access your sensitive data like photos, contacts, or location.
Of course, there may be times when you need to use an app that Play Protect has flagged. In those cases, you can still restore the app’s permissions, but Google will now just ask you to confirm your decision. This extra step is designed to make you think twice before granting access to a potentially harmful app.
Play Protect already has the ability to reset app permissions for apps you haven’t used in a while, and it can automatically block or disable harmful apps depending on their severity. Google also notes that Play Protect scans all apps on your device, including those that have been sideloaded, not just those installed from the Play Store. Google says they scan over 200 billion apps daily and perform real-time scanning to combat emerging threats.
The company is also taking aim at scammers who use social engineering tactics to trick users into turning off Play Protect. These scammers often convince users to disable Play Protect during phone calls so they can download malicious apps from the internet. To prevent this, Play Protect will no longer let you toggle off the service during phone and video calls, including those made through popular third-party apps.
In addition to these new features, Google’s post highlights the company’s broader efforts to keep the Android app ecosystem safe. In 2024, Google says they prevented 2.36 million policy-violating apps from being published on Google Play and banned more than 158,000 bad developer accounts. They also recently introduced live threat detection to Pixel devices, which can identify harmful app behavior in real-time, and launched a new verification badge for VPNs to help users choose trustworthy providers, like NordVPN.
Source: The Verge
