Pixel phones will be able to detect and report malicious apps in real time


Android’s Google Play Protect service is getting an update called live threat detection which seeks out potentially harmful apps on your phone by analyzing app behavior and alerts you in realtime if something looks fishy. The update was first announced at Google I/O earlier this year and is available now to Pixel 6 and newer phones. It should come to additional non-Pixel Android phones from Lenovo, OnePlus, Nothing, and Oppo, among others “in the coming months.”
Live threat detection targets particularly hard-to-spot malware apps that hide their intentions well. Rather than just scanning apps for malicious code when you download them, Play Protect will keep looking for signs of suspicious app behavior even after they’re on your phone. This can help it spot malware that remains dormant at first and later starts engaging in malicious activity. This detection takes place on-device using an Android privacy infrastructure called Private Compute Core to help keep user data secure, and users will get real-time alerts to take action if needed.
Google is rolling out another security feature today, too: scam call detection. Also announced at I/O, this feature uses on-device AI to analyze phone calls and looks for signs that that caller is a scammer. If it spots suspicious conversational patterns or requests typical of scam attempts, it will flag the user and encourage them to end the call. It’s only available to members of the Phone by Google app’s beta program with a Pixel 6 or later (as of this morning that program appears to be full) and will roll out to more Android phones in the future.
Android’s Google Play Protect service is getting an update called live threat detection which seeks out potentially harmful apps on your phone by analyzing app behavior and alerts you in realtime if something looks fishy. The update was first announced at Google I/O earlier this year and is available now…
Recent Posts
- FTC Chair praises Justice Thomas as ‘the most important judge of the last 100 years’ for Black History Month
- HP acquires Humane AI assets and the AI pin may suffer a humane death
- HP acquires Humane Ai and gives the AI pin a humane death
- DOGE can keep accessing government data for now, judge rules
- Humane’s AI Pin: all the news about the dead AI-powered wearable
Archives
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- September 2018
- October 2017
- December 2011
- August 2010