Is Your Android Device at Risk? Here’s How Google Play Protect Can Save Your Device from Hackers!
Android has become the most widely used mobile operating system globally. The flexibility and open-source nature of Android make it an accessible choice among modern smartphone users. Many users carry their mobile devices everywhere, and it’s not far-fetched to consider them as an extension of our everyday lives. Consequently, keeping an Android device safe is crucial to maintain its operational integrity.
As we know, the internet is the prime hunting ground for cybercriminals who prey on unsuspecting people. Android devices are not immune to attacks, and leaving them unprotected makes them vulnerable to malicious activities such as phishing, spyware, malware, and other cyber threats.
However, staying safe and secure on Android has become easier thanks to Google Play Protect. The Play Protect suite is Google’s powerful tool that helps protect Android devices from potential security threats. It acts as a built-in malware scanner that automatically checks your device for harmful apps, making it safer to use any app available on the Google Play Store.
Here are the ways Google Play Protect safeguards your Android device:
Threat Detection
Google Play Protect uses machine learning algorithms to detect malicious apps. It scans your phone regularly to detect apps that may potentially compromise your device security. Suspicious apps are analysed in real-time to determine if they’re malicious. For example, if Play Protect suspects an app has become compromised, it will automatically send a warning and suggest uninstallation.
Automatic App Scanning
Once you download an app from the Google Play Store, it’s scanned by Play Protect to check for any potential threats. If any app is detected with a security issue, Play Protect will immediately block the app from running. This feature ensures that your device is running only secure apps.
App Verification
Google Play Protect verifies the authenticity of apps before they’re downloaded. It checks for apps matching the metadata of the ones available in the Google Play Store, ensuring that the app you download is legitimate and not a counterfeit.
Anti-Theft Protection
Lost or stolen Android devices are often targets for hackers. Google Play Protect integrates an anti-theft feature that lets you locate, lock or wipe data from a device remotely. To use the feature, you can log in to your Google account, open the Find My Device app, and take the necessary action.
App Permissions
Play Protect reviews app permissions to ensure that the app you want to download does not request excessive permissions that can jeopardize your device’s security. If it does, Play Protect will notify you of the risk, even if the app is legitimate.
In conclusion, the use of an Android device without proper protection is not advisable. However, with Google Play Protect, Android users, regardless of their level of comprehension of cybersecurity, can easily secure their devices. With its powerful features, Play Protect helps to identify and prevent security breaches, ultimately safeguarding your device and its vital information. Therefore, it’s critical to ensure that Google Play Protect is always enabled on your Android device to keep it secure.
Since Google knows its Android operating system is not entirely free from flaws, it has introduced a security feature called Google Play Protect. So, what’s Google Play Protect, and what does it? We will know everything about Play Protect in this article.
What is Google Play Protect?
Google Play Protect is a security feature that checks apps when installing them on your Android device. It periodically scans your smartphone to find harmful and hidden malware and apps. Other than that, Google Play Protects also does a few other things to protect your smartphone. For example, it warns you about potentially harmful apps; it may deactivate dangerous apps from your device, it sends you privacy alerts about apps that can try to access your personal information, and more.
Steps to Secure Your Android Device With Google Play Protect
If your phone is running on the latest versions of Android, the Google Play Protect feature is possibly enabled. However, if it’s not, you can help the security feature manually. Here’s how to enable Google Play Protect on Android.
1) How to Enable Google Play Protect on Android
If the Google Play Protect is not enabled on your Android device, you need to follow some of the simple steps we have shared below. Here’s how you can enable Google Play Protect on an Android smartphone.
First, open the Google Play Store on your Android device. Next, tap on the profile picture as shown in the screenshot below.
On the pop-up, tap on the Play Protect option, as shown below.
On the Play Protect page, tap on the Settings gear icon located in the top-right corner of the screen.
On the Play Protect Settings, you need to enable the two options – Scan apps with Play Protect and Improve harmful app detection.
That’s it! You are done. This is how you can enable Google Play Protect on your Android smartphone.
2) How to Scan Apps with Google Play Protect
Although Google Play Protect scans every app you download from the Google Play Store, the apps downloaded from unknown sources are not scanned immediately. Hence, if you have just installed a third-party app on your Android, it’s best to run a quick scan with Google Play Protect. Here’s what you need to do.
First of all, open the Settings app on your Android smartphone.
On the Settings, scroll down and tap on the Security option as shown below.
On the Security options, tap on the Google Play Protect.
On the Play Protect page, tap on the Scan button below.
Now, Play Protect will run a quick scan. If it finds any harmful apps, it will recommend you uninstall them.
That’s it! You are done. This is how you can run a quick scan on Android via Play Protect. So, this guide is all about Google Play Protect and how to use it. I hope this article helped you! Please share it with your friends also. If you have any doubts about this, let us know in the comment box below.
