Google to brand certified Android devices with Play Protect logo

(Image: Google)

Google has said it will begin to place its Play Protect logo on the packaging of devices that are certified to run authentic Google apps and allow apps from its Play Store to function properly.

"Certified devices are also required to dispatch without pre-installed malware and include Google Play Protect, a suite of security features such as automatic virus scanning and Find My Device," the web giant's explanation states.

The Android warden has also released a list of certified partners, which, besides the usual suspects, contains a number of lesser brands out of China.

Devices that are certified will be recognisable by having a Play Protect logo on the box, Google said.

The use of Play Protect within Android began in May, when it was prominently placed in the Play Store app on the app updating panel.

Play Protect is aided by Google's machine learning, which is trained to look for harmful apps based on scans of 50 billion apps each day. Apps are analysed before appearing on the Play Store, then Play Protect monitors apps for misbehaviour once installed on the device, running automatically in the background.

Google previously offered this functionality within Android, but it was labelled as "Verify Apps".

Earlier this month, Google said it would change its Play Store search algorithms to have apps that do not crash or drain battery power rank higher.

The new algorithm will take into account factors such as app crashes, render times, battery usage, and number of uninstalls to determine an app's ranking.

The company explained that the impetus for change came after it realised that around half of the one-star reviews on the Google Play Store mentioned app stability issues.

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