Google's new anti-scam measure prevents disabling Play Protect during voice calls

Google has been continuously trying to make Android OS more secure for its users. The Mountain View giant has recently announced a new feature for Google Messages that keeps off international spam. That’s not all, the company also introduced an important anti-scam measure that prevents users from disabling Play Protect to prevent the installation of unverified apps during voice calls.

Google’s new anti-scam measure prevents you from disabling Play Protect during voice calls

Now, we may have the first look at how this anti-scam measure from Google would work to keep the users safe, thanks to Android Authority. Today, the publication reported that they managed to tinker with some codes and managed to enable the new behavioral change.

As you may know, Google Play Protect prevents users from installing unverified apps on their Android smartphones or tablets. That said, users already have the option to disable the feature if they want to sideload an app that Play Protect wrongly flags as harmful.

If you want to turn off Google Play Protect, you need to first go to the Google Play Store settings. Then, you have to tap the cog icon from the top right corner. Finally, you can tap the toggle beside the “Scan apps with Play Protect” option to disable it.

While it may be a handy option for those who often sideload apps, Google sees this option as a loophole that scammers might infiltrate tricking users into installing malicious apps without any suspicion.

The latest security measure is rolling out in Singapore for now

Now, with this new change, users won’t be able to disable the Google Play Protect feature during voice calls. In fact, the toggle grays out indicating that you can’t disable it while on a voice call. You can check the same in the video attached below.

Google believes this effort will protect Android users from falling victim to online scams down the line. Similar to anti-scam features for Google Messages, the one related to Google Play Protect will be available first in Singapore. Additionally, this security measure could see a wider rollout, but we don’t know the exact dates as of now.