Google is bringing a new security measure to shield Android devices that use the Play Store from malicious software.
The Verify Apps feature will block malicious apps and check app activity on a regular basis to keep smartphones and tablets safe, Yahoo Tech reported.
Android will block suspicious apps altogether, similar to virus protection on a personal computer, with a warning screen that users can override if needed.
Google's new service will apply to features downloaded from the Play Store as well as outside apps. Verify Apps is intended to vigilantly watch for apps that collect information about the user, send unauthorized SMS messages or exploit potential vulnerabilities in the software, according to Yahoo Tech.
"We wanted to make sure users are being protected even when they are installing applications outside of Google Play," Android security engineer Adrian Ludwig told reporters, as quoted by Yahoo Tech.
After apps are installed, the feature will continue inspecting them in case an app changes its function later on.
The new Verify Apps service may serve as a compromise since Android allows apps to be installed that come from outside the official Google Play store, something not supported by Apple's iOS software.
Google Play also doesn't have the same regulations as the Apple store, not requiring apps to go through the same verification process.
While it works to guard against malicious software, Verify Apps won't be able to flag apps like Virus Shield, a useless $4 app downloaded 10,000 times before it was recently removed from the Google Play store. Harmless but misleading apps won't trigger a warning, Ludwig said.
The new security service launched on Thursday and will roll out to more devices as a Google Play update on Android-based devices.
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