Google Developing ‘Rescan’ Option for Harmful Apps on Android

Google is rumored to be working on enhancing its Play Protect service with a new ‘Rescan’ feature, allowing users to recheck flagged apps without uninstalling them. This development was uncovered during an APK teardown of the Google Play Store app on Android, indicating that the feature is still in the works and not yet available to users.

The ‘Rescan’ option is expected to provide users with the opportunity to double-check apps that have been previously identified as harmful by Play Protect. This could potentially prevent users from mistakenly removing safe apps from their devices.

Additionally, Google is reportedly introducing a ‘quarantine’ mode with Android 15, which will allow system apps like Google Play Services to isolate and restrict potentially harmful apps. This feature aims to mitigate the impact of malicious apps on users’ devices by limiting their capabilities and activities.

The code referencing the ‘quarantine’ mode was discovered in an Android 15 beta update, although it has not been activated yet. The presence of a “QUARANTINE_APPS” permission suggests that apps signed by the same certificate as Google may be granted this permission to protect users from potential threats.

Overall, these upcoming features indicate Google’s commitment to enhancing the security and protection of Android users. By implementing additional functionalities in Play Protect and Android 15, Google is taking proactive steps to safeguard users against malicious apps and potential security risks.