GOOGLE is handing out a new type of “yellow warning” that you should never ignore.
It could save millions of Android phone owners from a costly nightmare.
The new warning appears inside the Google Play Store, which is where Android phone owners typically get their apps.
Google tries to keep the Play Store stock with quality apps, but every month we hear about new entries that are bad – and sometimes even dangerous.
So to help you avoid downloading any terrible apps, Google is adding a new warning to some Play Store apps.
The yellow banner will read: “This app is frequently uninstalled compared to others on Play.”
So if an app is being installed and then deleted, it will earn this damning banner.
After all, it's a clear sign that the app probably isn't doing what it's meant to.
It could be low quality or littered with ads – or might try to charge you over the odds for a poor service.
So it might end up saving you money, because you'll dodge paying for a costly app that's actually not good at all.
Similarly, sometimes dangerous apps make their way onto the Google Play Store.
Google does catch these, but not always before they cause damage – either by harvesting your info or even taking your money.
So this warning may also help you to avoid dangerous malware on the Google Play Store too.
Android phone owners have been spotting the new warning in recent weeks.
One post on Reddit that earned hundreds of upvotes was titled: “I like the Google Play Store new update”, and included a screengrab of the feature.
Another said: “I like the change too. It will be quite useful, especially when there are multiple apps to choose from.”
And one added: “Wow that's nice!”
One big benefit is that it could help users identify dodgy apps even if they're been boosted by fake or less-sincere reviews.
Some app makers will spam their reviews with positive scores on multiple devices.
And as another user points out: “There are some scummy apps?games that ask for 5-star reviews for a reward or to unlock something in the app/game.
HOW TO CHECK YOUR APPS ARE SAFE
If you are worried about the apps you're downloading, there's a handy feature you need to try...
First, make sure that Google Play Protect is on.
Just go to the Google Play Store on your Android phone and tap on your profile icon.
Then go to Play Protect > Settings > Scan Apps With Play Protect and toggle the feature on.
This will scan apps that you're downloading to make sure they're not dodgy.
But you can also get a safety check on apps that you're downloading from outside of the Google Play Store too.
“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,” Google explained.
“When you turn on the “Improve harmful app detection”; setting, you allow Google Play Protect to automatically send unknown apps to Google.”
Just go to the Google Play Store, then Profile > Play Protect > Settings.
Then simply turn Improve Harmful App Detection on and you'll be sorted.
Picture Credit: Google
“So a feature like this might help to counter it.”
There are two other new types of warnings that are appearing on Play Store app listings too, as part of this new update.
One is: “users engage with this app less frequently than other apps on Play.”
And the other is: “This app has fewer users compared to others on Play.”
They're all meant to make you stop and think twice before downloading a potentially poor-quality app.
So watch out for them, read the app reviews, and consider whether it's really worth downloading.
