- Google is working on a new Advanced Protection Feature in Android 16.
- It will disable certain actions such as sideloading apps during a phone call and enabling accessibility features.
- This will likely disrupt scammers who often require their victims to install a shady app.
Let’s admit it, no one likes those scam calls constantly trying to rip you off or forcing you to install some shady app. To fix this plague of scam calls, Google is working on a new feature in Android 16. This will protect you by blocking certain settings on your phone during a phone call. Specifically, it aims to prevent scammers from forcing you to install a random application on your smartphone.
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According to a report by Android Authority, Google is working on a new security feature in Android 16. As scammers constantly evolve and find news to fool people into installing unknown apps, this feature could prove to be a godsend.
Google’s Advanced Protection Feature to Roll Out in Android 16
The Advanced Protection feature, Android Authority reports disables the sideloading functionality on your devices thus ultimately preventing you from installing unknown apps on your phone. For those unaware, sideloading refers to the installation of apps that are not available on the Google Play Store. When a user tries to sideload an app, a dialog box will appear saying “This Action is not allowed because Advanced Protection is on for your device.
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The Advanced Side Protection will also disable accessibility features during a phone call. This can be helpful as most people are not well-versed in the process of sideloading apps on their phones. While it is not live in Android 16 Beta 2, it is likely to be available in the stable version.
Scam callers often trick their victims into installing some shady app unavailable on the Google Play Store. Android 16’s Advanced Side Protection disrupts this process slowing them down their tracks and also alerts the user that something isn’t right. Furthermore, the warning dialog box mentions that scammers will often request this action which could make them suspicious of the scammer’s intent.
Even in the worst-case scenario where the scammer wants to install an app available on the Google Play Store, Advanced Protection disables accessibility settings on your device. This will ultimately prevent the app from reading the contents of your screen or taking control of your device. Enabling these accessibility settings can be dangerous especially since it allows an app to perform actions on your behalf.
