Google Tightens Android Security: Play Protect Now Un-disableable During Calls

Google Play Protect Enhancements in 2024

• Real-Time Scanning: Google Play Protect now scans over 200 billion apps daily, up from 125 billion in 2023, identifying and blocking over 13 million new malicious apps.
• Call Protection: During phone and video calls, including those in popular third-party apps, users cannot turn off the 'Scan apps with Play Protect' setting to prevent social engineering attacks. The UI warns users if they are asked to disable app scanning during a call.
• Chrome for Android Reminders: Chrome will remind users to re-enable Play Protect if it has been disabled.
• Enhanced Fraud Protection: Google's enhanced fraud protection pilot, which now covers Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam, has shielded 10 million devices from 36 million risky installation attempts involving over 200,000 unique apps.
• App Permissions Management: Play Protect automatically revokes permissions for potentially harmful apps, limiting their access to sensitive data like storage, photos, and camera. Users can restore app permissions with a confirmation step.
• Other Safety Stats:
  • Prevented 2.36 million policy-violating apps from being published on Google Play.
  • Banned over 158,000 developer accounts that attempted to publish harmful apps.
  • Blocked 1.3 million apps from accessing sensitive user data.
  • Over 91% of app installs on the Google Play Store use the latest protections of Android 13 or newer.
  • Apps using Play integrity features experience an 80% lower usage rate from unverified and untrusted sources.