Google has released the Play Protect app on the Play Store that scans your android device in real-time. The Play Protect app was announced back in May 2017 and is basically a revamped version of security features that have been a part of Android all along. Some users, in the play store, are seeing a newin the ‘Updates’ section of ‘My apps & games’ that allows them to manually scan their apps and look for problems. Some apps with ‘Verified by Play Protect’ are being observed on the Play Store.
Google claims the Play Protect compares app behaviors across various devices and passes that data through its Machine Learning systems. If it spots an app behaving unusually, it removes it from your device.The Play Protect has been rolling out in phases and this feature is starting to be showcased prominently. Verify Apps being a good example of this.
The Verify Apps feature was quite ignored but now will be featured atop the Updates tab of the ‘My Apps & Games’ section in the Play Store. According to Google, “the Play Protect is a suite of comprehensive security services for Android, providing powerful new protections and greater visibility into your device security. Play Protect is built into every device with Google Play, is always updating, and automatically takes action to keep your data and device safe, so you don’t have to lift a finger.”
Many of the users on Reddit have reported seeing Play Protect on the Play Store.
The features such as Verify Apps and Find My Device are now encompassed under the same roof and are being referred to as Play Protect. The Play Protect will now inform you if any issues have been found along with the last time it scanned your apps. You can also initiate a scan manually.