It’s undeniable that practically all app developers now use Android while creating apps. The OS has a ton of great apps, but it also has a ton of apps that seriously jeopardize user security and the security of the device as a whole. In the last year or so, we’ve noticed an increase in the number of apps that are adept at defrauding people of their money. It looks like Google is developing a new program to stop these scams from occurring in the first place.

Google wants to make sure that you are shielded from financial scams, which are more prevalent on Android.
The massive search engine is now developing a new product called Google Play Protect that will provide enhanced fraud prevention for Android devices running Google Play Services. This program is now being launched in Singapore, and if it proves to be effective, it will genuinely begin expanding to other areas. This is a feature that ought to have been implemented far sooner, given the rise in popularity of financial fraud apps.

Google Play Protect will be able to identify and prevent the installation of apps that are really utilizing sensitive permissions—which are frequently included in financial fraud apps—as soon as the program debuts. These four permissions will be searched for on Android devices.

• GET_SMS
• SEE_SMS
• BIND_Notifications
• Availability

Even though there may be no good reason for this feature to be available on Android, scammers do take advantage of these rights for one-time passwords. These can be acquired by either reading the SMS that arrive on these devices or by watching what’s displayed on the screen and scrolling through the notifications that are sent.

For Android users in Singapore, this functionality will function as follows: Play Protect will prevent the download of the app and provide an explanation if an attempt is made to sideload it and it requests permission for any of these four categories. Below is a demonstration of how it operates.

Google has also discussed how the company has new fraud protection that has been put to the test by the Singaporean government. The company plans to monitor the project’s development and make any adjustments as needed. Additionally, Google has advised Android app developers affected by this change to challenge the Google Play Protect classification status of their apps.