Google Play Protect is a security feature of the Google Play Store, which is the official app store for Android devices. Google Play Protect is designed to help protect Android users from malicious apps and other security threats, such as viruses, malware, and other harmful software.

Google Play Protect uses a combination of machine learning and other technologies to scan apps and detect potential security threats. It uses this information to warn users about potentially harmful apps, and it can also automatically remove these apps from the device to help protect the user.

In addition to scanning apps, Google Play Protect also provides other security features, such as Find My Device, which allows users to remotely locate, lock, or erase their device if it is lost or stolen. Google Play Protect also provides regular security updates and other features to help protect Android users and their devices.

In short, Google Play Protect is an important security feature of the Google Play Store, and it helps to protect Android users from malicious apps and other security threats. By using Google Play Protect, users can feel confident that their apps are safe and secure, and that their devices are protected from potential harm.

Although the Google Play Protect might come at no cost, this doesn’t make it as efficacious as a few of the third-party options readily available to users. The Google Play Protect app would help you keep viruses out of your Android device either phone or tablet, with an image of the overall performance of the system, without having to install anything. It also has speed as an added advantage, but it doesn’t provide as much protection as other apps in the same category.

Advantages

  • Has an OS form of security.
  • Nothing to install
  • Meshes with OS-based security features
  • Small system impact
  • Fast scanning
  • Void of any form of installation

Disadvantages

  • Poor malware effects on third-party tests
  • Has no form of adjustment.
  • Low outcomes on malware tests for third-party apps.

Other features it also has are the PUA and Malware scanning, ad blocker, URL protection, Guest mode, phone locator and anti-theft features, a secret photo vault for images, text blocking features, and the Remote Data Wipe. It doesn’t have an app locking feature, a scanner for the Wi-Fi, and unlimited use of the VPN.

This app looks like two in one. It is inbuilt and does not need any extra effort to defend your android device and has little influence on the performance of the system.

On the other hand, it is limited in its mode of operation, thus making it insufficient to protect your OS against the most vicious forms of attacks and equally lacks the connection to a VPN and the other bonuses that other Antivirus apps have.

This piece will help you examine this free app or whether you should opt for a paid app instead.

Costs and what’s covered

This app functions synonymously with Microsoft Defender for computers with the Windows O.S. This means that you do not need to pay and it looks into the many OS activities that are on all android devices, and allow these attributes to run side by side with the third-party security app. These features are password manager, anti-theft, and blocking of texts from unwanted numbers. The software works seamlessly with Android 4.1-12.1 and will keep on working with all versions that are released.

Malware Defense

At the core of all android devices, this app protects them from all forms of malware attacks. It not only thoroughly checks your device for viruses but takes it a step further by looking at all installed apps for the same.

This type of scan can be turned on and off on your Android device. All you need to do is to head to the Biometrics and Security section of your device. It has a point where you can scan manually for viruses or attacks. This is unique because many others do not have such. It also checks if your software is up to date. If it isn’t, you can do an update manually.

Play Protect also helps to stop viruses that try to gain control over a device. It looks out for scam attacks or those that send out spam messages. It can also tell ahead of time, apps that haven’t been used in recent times and can stop unnecessary apps from loading. Google has a catalog of these kinds of apps on a website where they are submitted for investigation. Thus, Play Protect has a variety of functions that range from the protection of personal data to aiding remote operations.

It also decides if an app is safe, recent, or would cause any danger to the OS, thus increasing the level of safety of the Google Play store. It takes security a step further by telling the user what installed apps have lost the approval of Google.

Malware detection

Play Protect helps to develop regular malware tests and has become more effective in finding viruses as compared previously. For instance, in a survey carried out in January 2022, it was found that Play Protect was able to find up to 80.7 percent out of 2,896 threats that were given to it. Out of also 2,964 live viruses that were fed to it, it scored 90 percent. Even though this isn’t a good enough score, it is a great improvement from 2019 when it scored 44.1 and 54.7 percent respectively. Avast, Norton 360, and Bit Defender on the other hand scored 100 percent in 2022.

In a July 2021 Mobile Review by AV Comparatives’, Bitdefender scored 100 percent, Avast 99.6, and Malware had 98.1. Play Protect performed poorly by scoring 81.7. In the course of the series of tests, Avast and Malware both had a single false positive while Bitdefender didn’t have any. Play Protect, on the other hand, had 12 and this might make users ignore its warnings. To fully protect your device, I would recommend that you get another third-party security app like Bitdefender or Norton.

Tools and Security features

At first look, the play protects stands no chance against other apps in the market. However, when you take an in-depth look, you would see that it fares excellently since its functions are part of the Android. For instance, it has a find my phone feature and several anti-theft options. One of these options is that it can wipe or lock a stolen device and make it easy for the owner to see the phone’s last location. There is also the option of playing your ringtone continuously at a loud volume so you can hear where the phone is and to annoy the thief. However, this isn’t a special feature as all android devices have the same with or without a third-party app. They also have a text and call blocker.

The Safe browser feature cautions owners about the many sites that might be dangerous each day. This feature comes installed by default and can take you away from potentially risky sights when you browse with Chrome. You can disable or enable this setting in a bid to customize your experience. However, your Android device also has a Safe Search feature that can be switched off in the settings section of your Google chrome.

Setup and support

Goggle Play Protect is so seamless that you do nothing to set it up. It already comes pre-installed, set up, and turned on with your Android device. While many other apps require support payment to be given, Play Protect leaves the support to the manufacturer of the device. It does minute work checking your certification and instructions. That’s all.

Interface

This app doesn’t have too much of an interface since its code is in the operating system. It has a Settings, Security, and Biometrics category. The former is the point of entry into the app while the former has a section for the app. In this, you can see the results of all scans and where the scans took place. It also has a checkmark box and green shield where it shows the level of protection. If the green app suddenly changes to a red “X” and an uninstall button, it means it has seen harmful content.

In addition, the Security Update feature seeks out newer viruses and makes sure that the updates are evenly distributed without the user even knowing about them.

Get more Info

You can find more information about Google Play Protect on the Google Play website. To access this information, you can follow these steps:

  • Open a web browser, and go to the Google Play website at https://play.google.com/.
  • Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click on the “Play Protect” link in the “Security” section.
  • This will open the Google Play Protect page, which provides more information about this security feature.

On the Google Play Protect page, you can learn more about how Google Play Protect works, and how it helps to protect Android users from malicious apps and other security threats. The page also provides links to other resources and information, such as the Google Play Protect certification process, and how to use the Find My Device feature.

In addition to the Google Play website, you can also find more information about Google Play Protect on the Google Support website. To access this information, you can follow these steps:

  • Open a web browser, and go to the Google Support website at https://support.google.com/.
  • In the search box at the top of the page, type “Google Play Protect”, and press Enter.
  • This will search the Google Support website for articles and information related to Google Play Protect.
  • Click on the “Google Play Protect” link in the search results to open the Google Play Protect page on the Google Support website.

On the Google Play Protect page on the Google Support website, you can find a variety of articles and information about this security feature. The page provides answers to common questions and problems, and it also provides links to other resources and information that can help you learn more about Google Play Protect and how it works.

Bottom line

The Google Play Protect may be the most affordable and easiest security app when it comes to the Android O.S, but it is also the one that has the most minute impact on the performance of the system. One of the important benefits, however, is its ability to seek out and delete dangerous content. Google should try to improve on the app by looking at the Microsoft Playbook. The playbook would teach them to throw in a few more updates that would make the app world-class and free! To conclude, the Microsoft app might be free, but ‘free’ can’t take you past a certain level.