Latest Google Play news

Android 15, Google Play Protect get new anti-malware and anti-fraud features

Today, Google announced new security features coming to Android 15 and Google Play Protect that will help block scams, fraud, and malware apps on users' devices.
- Lawrence Abrams
- May 15, 2024
- 03:53 PM
- 0
Free VPN apps on Google Play turned Android phones into proxies

Over 15 free VPN apps on Google Play were found using a malicious software development kit that turned Android devices into unwitting residential proxies, likely used for cybercrime and shopping bots.
- Bill Toulas
- March 26, 2024
- 12:33 PM
- 0
More Android apps riddled with malware spotted on Google Play

An Android remote access trojan (RAT) known as VajraSpy was found in 12 malicious applications, six of which were available on Google Play from April 1, 2021, through September 10, 2023.
- Bill Toulas
- February 01, 2024
- 01:19 PM
- 1
Google Pixel phones unusable after January 2024 system update

Google Pixel smartphone owners report problems after installing the January 2024 Google Play system update, being unable to access their devices internal storage, open the camera, take screenshots, or even open apps.
- Bill Toulas
- January 24, 2024
- 10:13 AM
- 18
New Xamalicious Android malware installed 330k times on Google Play

A previously unknown Android backdoor named 'Xamalicious' has infected approximately 338,300 devices via malicious apps on Google Play, Android's official app store.
- Bill Toulas
- December 27, 2023
- 10:54 AM
- 0
SpyLoan Android malware on Google Play downloaded 12 million times

More than a dozen malicious loan apps, which are generically named SpyLoan, have been downloaded more than 12 million times this year from Google Play but the count is much larger since they are also available on third-party stores and suspicious websites.
- Bill Toulas
- December 05, 2023
- 09:27 AM
- 0
Google Play adds security audit badges for Android VPN apps

Google Play, Android's official app store, is now tagging VPN apps with an 'independent security reviews' badge if they conducted an independent security audit of their software and platform.
- Bill Toulas
- November 03, 2023
- 12:48 PM
- 0
Android adware apps on Google Play amass two million installs

Several malicious Google Play Android apps installed over 2 million times push intrusive ads to users while concealing their presence on the infected devices.
- Bill Toulas
- October 26, 2023
- 03:01 PM
- 2
Google Play Protect adds real-time scanning to fight Android malware

Google has announced new, real-time scanning features for Google Play Protect that make it harder for malicious apps employing polymorphism to evade detection.
- Bill Toulas
- October 18, 2023
- 12:00 PM
- 3
Amazon sends Mastercard, Google Play gift card order emails by mistake

Amazon mistakenly sent out purchase confirmation emails for Hotels.com, Google Play, and Mastercard gift cards to customers, making many worried their accounts were compromised.
- Lawrence Abrams
- October 01, 2023
- 02:23 PM
- 2
Google Play apps with 2.5M installs load ads when screen's off

The Google Play store was infiltrated by 43 Android applications with 2.5 million installs that secretly displayed advertisements while a phone's screen was off, running down a device's battery.
- Bill Toulas
- August 07, 2023
- 11:50 AM
- 0
Google explains how Android malware slips onto Google Play Store

The Google Cloud security team acknowledged a common tactic known as versioning used by malicious actors to slip malware on Android devices after evading the Google Play Store's review process and security controls.
- Sergiu Gatlan
- August 04, 2023
- 01:04 PM
- 0
Apple rejects new name 'X' for Twitter iOS app because... rules

Mr. Musk may have successfully pushed Twitter's new name and logo, 'X', and even made the vanity domain x.com redirect to the social media website, but that's not to say, the Mathematical double-struck letter will fit the bill everywhere. Apple's App Store can't accept Twitter iOS app's new name due to minimum character requirements
- Ax Sharma
- July 29, 2023
- 06:33 AM
- 11
New Android malware uses OCR to steal credentials from images

Two new Android malware families named 'CherryBlos' and 'FakeTrade' were discovered on Google Play, aiming to steal cryptocurrency credentials and funds or conduct scams.
- Bill Toulas
- July 28, 2023
- 11:31 AM
- 0
Google Play will enforce business checks to curb malware submissions

Google is fighting back against the constant invasion of malware on Google Play by requiring all new developer accounts registering as an organization to provide a valid D-U-N-S number before submitting apps.
- Bill Toulas
- July 13, 2023
- 03:20 PM
- 12
Apps with 1.5M installs on Google Play send your data to China

Security researchers discovered two malicious file management applications on Google Play with a collective installation count of over 1.5 million that collected excessive user data that goes well beyond what's needed to offer the promised functionality.
- Bill Toulas
- July 06, 2023
- 02:43 PM
- 12
SpinOk Android malware found in more apps with 30 million installs

The SpinOk malware was found in a new batch of Android apps on Google Play, reportedly installed an additional 30 million times.
- Bill Toulas
- June 05, 2023
- 12:50 PM
- 1
New Fleckpe Android malware installed 600K times on Google Play

A new Android subscription malware named 'Fleckpe' has been spotted on Google Play, the official Android app store, disguised as legitimate apps downloaded over 620,000 times.
- Bill Toulas
- May 04, 2023
- 03:12 PM
- 2
Android Minecraft clones with 35M downloads infect users with adware

A set of 38 Minecraft copycat games on Google Play infected devices with the Android adware 'HiddenAds' to stealthily load ads in the background to generate revenue for its operators.
- Bill Toulas
- April 27, 2023
- 03:42 PM
- 0
Google banned 173K developer accounts to block malware, fraud rings

Google says it banned 173,000 developer accounts in 2022 to block malware operations and fraud rings from infecting Android users' devices with malicious apps.
- Sergiu Gatlan
- April 27, 2023
- 01:13 PM
- 0