Google's app store is encountering an issue on Android devices that's hampering user experiences.

AI became a hot topic. Its influence even bled into the Google Play security division, which used AI in 92% of app security reviews.

Google’s post recapping Play Store and Android protections in 2024 is live, while highlighting new Play Protect features, like during calls.

Sam Bright, the lead at Google Play, said the "ultimate goal" is to have Android games and apps work seamlessly across mobile, XR, and TV.

Google Play Protect will automatically revoke app permissions for harmful Android apps. In today’s Security Blog, Google mentions that the new feature will prevent malicious app

Google’s malware scanning Play Protect service will now automatically turn off an Android app’s permissions if it’s potentially harmful. The feature is designed to prevent malicious apps from having access to your phone’s storage, photos, camera, and more.

Google Play is rolling out "Verified" badges for select VPN apps to make it easier for users to find trust services. Apps with the badge prioritize user

Google Play will now display verification badges on approved VPNs as a way to “highlight apps that prioritize user privacy and safety,” the company announced on Tuesday. The new badge will appear on a VPN app’s details page and within search results,

Android’s game of catch-up with iPhone continues, with Google confirming the frightening scale of threats it is removing in real time. The company took action against more than 2 million “harmful” apps and 150,000 “bad” developers last year. That’s good — but a change it has just quietly confirmed could be even better.

Over the last day, Android phones and tablets have encountered a ‘Google Play Store keeps stopping’ error message. That system warning usually appears when Android apps crash. However, Google Play is working normally as far as we can tell. There’s no impact to browsing, downloading, or updating apps outside of the message.

Google just revealed how many malicious apps Play Protect shielded us from in 2024. It protected us from millions of bad apps.