Google Play announces new changes to mass app removals in 5 weeks
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Google’s mission to bring Android closer to the iPhone in terms of security and privacy continues. Android 15 promises to use on-device AI to warn users of malicious app activity in real timeThe days of sideloading aren’t over yet, but the Google Play Store’s defenses have been expanded to protect that lawless territory as much as possible. And all of this is just the beginning of the biggest changes yet. Google removes large number of low-quality apps from Play Store, attracting attention It starts five weeks later on August 31st.
The latest Play Store update brings welcome security improvements, and Google says: confirm According to the Chrome team, users who have enabled Play Protect for the Play Store will no longer see the “File may be harmful” warning when downloading APKs from third-party stores using Chrome. do not have If it’s enabled, users will see a warning in Chrome, along with a prompt to enable Play Protect.
As Android Authority According to the report:[Chrome] Soon, the decision to show a warning will be based on the presence of Google Play Protect. Play Protect initially only scanned new applications uploaded to Google Play by the developer themselves or when the user first sideloaded them, but was recently upgraded to perform real-time app scans on the device, and will soon perform more in-depth scans using on-device AI. Given these improvements to Play Protect, it’s no wonder the Chrome team has now deemed the ‘File may be harmful’ warning unnecessary.
Google Play Protect isn’t foolproof, so bad apps still get into the store, but once it identifies malware, it’s likely to look for the same stuff over and over again, which should tilt the cat-and-mouse game in Google’s favor. It’s more difficult than expected,But real-time monitoring of suspicious app behavior, including permissions, would be a big step forward.
But the real focus is on getting users to perceive the Play Store as a one-stop shop for apps.According to a recent update,. Samsung has tightened the default restrictions on its devices This is meant to steer users away from third-party stores and direct downloads, and it’s clear that Google intends to build even better walls around the Play Store this year.
according to Android AuthorityThe first change will be to warn users to enable Play Protect if it’s disabled. Google says that removing the harmful file warning will come at a later date, but is “likely to be released in the near future.”
The big decision to remove thousands of apps deemed to be of poor quality is above all about security and privacy: these kinds of pointless and useless apps circumvent some of these protections by harboring malware or being part of an attack chain that prepares your device for malware from another source.
According to Google, the apps that will be removed include “static apps with no app-specific functionality, such as text-only or PDF file apps; apps with little content and an uncompelling user experience, such as single wallpaper apps; and apps that do nothing or have no functionality.” This will have a big impact on the Play Store, so users need to be prepared.
While many longtime Android users don’t like the implication that Google is pushing the OS in Apple’s direction, the reality is that Apple users are far better protected against malware than Android users — and Google is playing catch-up.
Android’s Wild West days seem long gone.
