Google is introducing a new security feature for Android smartphones designed to keep users safe from malicious links while using apps on their handsets. The 'Android Safe Browsing' feature supports third-party apps and will alert users when they access harmful links or websites, according to Android expert Mishaal Rahman. The feature has been spotted on Google's Pixel phones and Samsung Galaxy handsets. It is expected to roll out to other smartphones via Google Play Services along with the ability to toggle the setting.
According to details shared by Rahman via X (formerly known as Twitter) a new Android Safe Browsing page has appeared on some Android smartphones, informing users that the feature can alert them when they browse within supported apps and encounter harmful links and web pages. The description also says that the safe browsing feature can protect users from phishing links.
Google is rolling out a new "Android Safe Browsing" page to users that lets you see which apps support the feature as well as a toggle "live threat protection" which enables "more accurate threat detection."
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) February 13, 2024
Android Safe Browsing "alerts you to security threats, like harmful… pic.twitter.com/xMIvmJh7Pl
It is currently unclear which third party apps will offer support for Google's new Android Safe Browsing feature, and the Supported apps section in the screenshot does not mention the names of any applications. Rahman says that the feature could be using a library called the SafetyNet Safe Browsing API to allow apps to check whether a link has been designated as a known threat by Google.
The same settings page also shows a toggle called Use live threat protection which is claimed to use the "latest version of Safe Browsing" and offer more accurate detection of threats. It is unclear whether the toggle is turned on by default of whether users will have to opt in to use the feature.
According to Rahman, the new Android Safe Browsing page is located under Settings > Security & privacy > More security and privacy in the settings app on Google's Pixel phones. Similarly, Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners can access the feature under Settings > Security & Privacy.
The new Android Safe Browsing feature is yet to roll out to Gadgets 360 staff members' smartphones, but it is expected to arrive on more smartphones as part of a Google Play Services update, according to Rahman. The company is likely to announce more details regarding the feature when it begins to roll out to more users in the future.
