Google Play Protect, that guy antivirus provided by default on Android phoneshas always been highly criticized by the community. And experts have gone so far as to classify it as the worst antivirus for Android. In fact, it was responsible for downloading over 600 million viruses from the Play Store last year.
For all this, Google hasn’t stopped improve the security offered by Play Protect. But with their latest update they added a somewhat controversial feature to this antivirus that has had a divided reception.
This is the function that requires entering your fingerprint or security PIN to install an APK. That’s right, now when you want to install an application outside the Play Store with an APK file you will have to respect this security step.
Google Play Protect updates: Android will ask for your fingerprint or PIN to install an APK
Android has started asking users to do this Enter your fingerprint or security PIN to enable installation of an app via an APK. However, it seems that this request for biometric data is not accidental.
And, as the developer reports Mishaal Rahman (expert in the Android world), this only occurs when the app has not been scanned previously and is considered unsafe or that poses a risk to the security of your device. For example, if it is detected that the application was created with an old SDK (development kit).
Why does Android require a fingerprint or PIN to install an APK?… Is this good or bad?
This new feature of Google Play Protect is designed to discourage users from installing potentially dangerous apps and protect them from them. However, many experts have questioned the usefulness of this featuresimply calling it an annoyance that hinders the APK installation process.
And, as can be seen in Android subreddit, For some this is just an excuse from Google to prevent users from installing apps outside of the Play Store. And for years it has been rumored that they are the ones from Mountain View They want to prevent sideloading of applications on Android in the futurelike Apple does with iOS.
On the other hand, there are those who see it this way a positive security improvement for the average Android userwhich usually ignores all the precautions you need to take when installing an APK (check its origin, reputation, pass it through VirusTotal, know what permissions to grant the app, etc.)
And you… What do you think of this new security feature from Google Play Protect?
