Google works tirelessly to End the Android Malware Problemone of the most common threats we face on our devices. We have previously talked about the efforts of the tech giant, which in 2023 alone prevented more than two million malicious apps from being published in its app store.
There are different types of malware and some are extremely dangerous, such as banking Trojans. The malware problem has led companies such as Samsung to put in place measures to Prevent the installation of malicious apps on their devices. This is the case of Auto Blocker, a tool that comes activated by default on Samsung mobile phones to reinforce the security of the device.
Google’s new measures aim to crack down on low-quality apps
In order to protect Android users from malware, Google is making every effort to continue improving Play Protect. It is a tool that Automatically analyzes all the apps we have installed on your phone and alerts you if it detects anything suspicious. We know that Google is still working to improve Play Protect, which will soon even be able to quarantine suspicious applications.
The Play Protect improvements aren’t the only changes coming to Google’s operating system: we read in Forbes that Google wants to improve the quality of apps available in the Play Store by tightening the requirements for distributing applications through the store. Google announced the changes in mid-July and they have just come into effect.
As we can see in an article on Google’s support page, the company has updated its spam and minimum functionality policy with the aim of “ensuring that applications comply with the enhanced standards for the Play catalog.” Google specifies that apps must provide a stable user experience and highlights that They will not allow applications that fail or lack a minimum degree of utility.
The company shows several examples of apps that would not meet the requirements to appear in the Play Store, such as Static applications without any functionality (for example, a text-only app). Apps that fail to install, fail to load, or load but are unresponsive also cannot be published.
Taking into account the changes mentioned throughout the article, Google could remove from the Play Store those apps that do not meet the necessary requirements. Without a doubt, this is a move that will help improve the quality of applications that we find in the Play Store, something that greatly benefits users of the Google operating system.
Via | Forbes
Cover image | Sergio Asenjo (Xataka Android)