Google Play Protect will be able to quarantine suspicious 'apps' with Android 15

April 17 (Portaltic/EP) –

Google is working on a new security option with Android that will allow services like Google Play Protect quarantine those 'apps' that are suspected of carrying out malicious activities and may put the device at risk.

The tech giant launched Google Play Protect in 2017 as a Native Android security solution. Being integrated into the Play Store, this tool can analyze applications downloaded from this store to protect the device from malwarewhile offering protection during navigation.

In this way, Play Store prevents the download of malicious applications and shows the user if the mobile is free of this content. However, when this antivirus tool identifies a application with malicious behavior on the device, notifies the user and requests that it be deleted or even automatically removed.

Now, Google plans to introduce a new security option in Android 15 for services like Play Protect, which will put quarantined the 'apps' in which suspicious behavior has been detectedisolating them from the system to prevent them from executing any 'malware' or malicious activity on the device, but without the need to uninstall them.

This was announced by Android analyst Mishaal Rahman through Android Authoritywho has pointed out that You first saw this quarantine option in Android 14 QR2 Beta 1 and that, now, the feature flag that enables OS-level support for application quarantining, the permission 'QUARANTINE_APPS' is still present.

That is, with this function, if security tools such as Google Play Protect identify possible suspicious activity of an application installed on the device, but are not clear that it is malicious behavior, they will be able to quarantine the application preventively .

Being in quarantine, the app will still be visible on the home screen on the device and in the Android settings. However, you will have certain restrictions, such as your Windows will be hidden and all activities already started will stop.

Following this line, as detailed by Rahman, Notifications from the 'app' will not be shown nor will you be able to ring the device. Neither will not be able to link to or receive transmissions from the system and the Other applications will not be able to consult their services.

This quarantine option It will work in a similar way to when applications are suspended or disabled, as you have pointed out. This occurs, for example, when 'apps' such as Digital Wellbeing are used, which help promote concentration by pausing distracting applications, avoiding their notifications or limiting their activity.

“In fact, The APIs used to quarantine an application are the same as those used to suspend an application,” added the Android analyst.

With all this, it is a feature still in development, so Rahman has indicated that its launch could be available for Android 15whose first beta version was released last week, or for “a future version”.