Google Play will scan apps downloaded from outside the official store before installing them

To protect users from malicious users who distribute malware in non-Google Play apps, the company is updating Play Protect and expanding its scanning features, reports 9to5Google.

When users try to install an app that was not downloaded from Google Play, they will see a prompt with two options: scan the app or don’t install it.

Play Protect will scan the program at the code level in real time and try to find important signals that need to be checked. This way, the company will look for malware in unofficial apps.

Once the real-time analysis is complete, users will get a result letting them know if the app looks safe to install or if the scan determined the app is potentially harmful. This enhancement will help better protect users against malicious polymorphic apps that leverage various methods, such as AI, to be altered to avoid detection.