Google Play Protect checks your apps and devices for harmful behavior.
- It runs a safety check on apps from the Google Play Store before you download them.
- It checks your device for potentially harmful apps from other sources. These harmful apps are sometimes called malware.
- It warns you about potentially harmful apps.
- It may deactivate or remove harmful apps from your device.
- It warns you about detected apps that violate our Unwanted Software Policy by hiding or misrepresenting important information.
- It sends you privacy alerts about apps that can get user permissions to access your personal information, violating our Developer Policy.
- It may reset app permissions to protect your privacy on certain Android versions.
- It may prevent an application from being installed that is unverified and uses sensitive device permissions that are commonly targeted by scammers to commit financial fraud.
Turn Google Play Protect on or off
Important: Google Play Protect is on by default, but you can turn it off. For better security, we recommend that you keep Google Play Protect on.
Android TV devices with Android 10 or lower
- On your Android TV, go to Settings
Apps
- Turn Verify apps on or off.
Apps Android TV devices with Android 11 or up
- On your Android TV, open the Google Play Store app
.
- Tap Menu
.
- Turn Scan apps with Play Protect on or off.
.Send unknown apps to Google
If you install apps from unknown sources outside of the Google Play Store, Google Play Protect may ask you to send unknown apps to Google. When you turn on the “Improve harmful app detection” setting, you allow Google Play Protect to automatically send unknown apps to Google.
Android TV devices with Android 11 or up
- On your Android TV, open the Google Play Store app
- Tap Menu
- Turn Improve harmful app detection on or off.
How Google Play Protect works
Google Play Protect checks apps when you install them. It also periodically scans your device. If it finds a potentially harmful app, it might:
- Send you a notification. To remove the app, tap the notification, then tap Uninstall.
- Disable the app until you uninstall it.
- Remove the app automatically. In most cases, if a harmful app has been detected, you will get a notification saying the app was removed.