Millions of Android, smart TV, wearable, and Chromebook users take advantage of the Google Play Store’s varied selection of apps and games. Most of us do so without a second thought, but is there room for concern? Does Google Play have your best interests at heart, and can you entrust it with your devices’ safety? Here’s what you need to know.
What are the Risks of Downloading Apps from Google Play?
While the Play Store isn’t 100% secure, we need to consider the risks. Google Play hosts close to 4 million apps, and only a tiny fraction of them can pass the platform’s rigorous security checks and cause harm temporarily.
Granted, the apps that manage to remain undetected can put your phone in danger. However, both Google employees and vigilant users are always looking out for unsafe apps and malicious activity.
How do these apps behave?
Different apps seek to harm your Android phone in various ways. Some may hog your resources and turn your phone into a crypto-mining tool. Others may introduce ads or redirect your regular web searches to unsafe websites. Another common tactic is to ask for sensitive permissions and steal crucial data from your phone like login details, emails, or contact lists.
What is Google doing about all of this?
Naturally, Google isn’t sitting by idly. It created a security tool called Bouncer in 2012, the same year Google Play launched. Bouncer cut down the number of suspicious apps significantly, but the transition to Play Protect and the introduction of human reviews a few years after that curbed the number of incidents even more.
Google’s latest improvement to Play Protect is the introduction of Independent Security Feedbacks. Displaying this badge on a qualifying app’s store page indicates that the developers adhere to the latest security standards. Google is also rolling out real-time scanning during installation to check for suspicious code within an app.
How Can You Stay Safe?
The risks might be relatively minor, but you can reduce them further by being smart about your choices.
The best thing you can do is install as few apps as possible. The fewer apps you use, the lower the chance of them posing a security risk. You shouldn’t rely on app discovery, either. Rather than go with a suggested app that has few downloads and hasn’t been updated in a while, research the most popular and capable apps for your needs.
How other users see an app is among the strongest indicators of its trustworthiness. Many will go out of their way to write bad reviews and warn others of developers’ shady practices, so make a habit of reading negative and mixed reviews even if the app’s reputation is good.
Pay attention to the permissions an app requests before downloading. Apps with specialized tasks, like a QR scanner, don’t need access to your contacts. Look for an alternative with less room for exploits.
Since downloading malicious apps can expose sensitive information, you’ll want to secure your device as a precaution. This involves ensuring automatic updates are on, installing an antivirus app, and getting your passwords in order.
That last one is important since poor password hygiene can cause one leaked password to threaten other accounts. It’s best to leave password creation, storage, and syncing to an Android password manager. Don’t forget to lock your accounts down with 2FA for even more protection.
Google Play might not have a specific app you need, especially if it involves circumventing your phone’s protections or the law. Some users bypass this by visiting sketchy sites that may offer corrupted apps or install malware onto their devices once visited.
Being legit doesn’t mean an app still can’t be intrusive. Some apps may collect information on your location and build up a profile of you over time to serve you ads or sell the info to advertisers. Having an active mobile VPN when interacting with such apps hides your IP address, letting you keep using them without compromising your privacy.
When selecting a VPN, steer clear of free ones. Select a reliable, reputable provider that will not compromise your privacy and data. If you don’t know where to start looking, check Reddit’s comparison table to find the finest VPN for you.
Conclusion
While there are still kinks to iron out, it’s clear that Google Play is taking user safety seriously and continually introducing new measures to stay ahead of bad actors. No store is completely safe—not even Apple’s! That being said, it only takes a bit of research and forethought to use Google Play carefree.
