Every month or two we seem to see scare tactic articles, mostly in the mainstream media, where Android users have had their details etc hacked/stolen/copied/(insert nefarious action here). Each time we follow up the piece here at Ausdroid and remind all users that if they want to be as safe as possible while using Android then they should only install apps from the Google Play Store.
Today that view was further strengthened when Google announced via their Android Developers blog that they are taking further measures to beef up the security of the Play Store. Today they have announced the Google Play App Security Improvement Program (quite a mouthful). It has two core components:
- Google provide app developers with security tips so help them secure their apps
- Once the apps are uploaded to the Play Store Google will scan them to help identify any weaknesses in the app’s security.
This information is accessed via the app developer’s Developer Console here they will receive alerts of any possible security threats discovered in their apps. The developer will also receive emails of any alerts as well as web links to help pages to help the developer to improve the security of the app. After the developer has fixed the issue they can upload a new version of the app to the Play Store (with a different, incremental version number) where it will be checked again by Google within a few hours.
All in all it’s good to see Google helping developers keep Android safe and secure which in turn helps us all to sleep better at night. As always, here at Ausdroid we recommend only using apps downloaded from the Google Play Store to remain safe from any spams or scams.
Your article was superb
Hey Scott Plowman
I just wanted to let you know that your article on google trends was great. I loved it so much that I had to tweet it out.
Keep up the great work!
Cheers,