The Google Play Store, a globally recognized platform for app distribution, boasts an extensive library of nearly 3 million apps and games. However, its popularity also brings forth a unique set of challenges. In a recent development, Google has taken action against 43 harmful apps that were surreptitiously draining smartphone batteries.
The platform constantly deals with the intrusion of malicious apps or those that violate its regulations. The Play Store’s wide accessibility and large influx of submissions sometimes create opportunities for harmful elements to infiltrate, causing harm to Android devices.
Google, the well-known search engine giant, has responded by removing 43 harmful apps from its Play Store. These apps were found to display advertisements even when users’ devices were inactive. Collectively downloaded around 2.5 million times, these apps were also using mobile data even when users’ phones were turned off.
The initial identification of these apps was done by McAfee’s Mobile Research Team, which flagged them to Google for violating Play Store guidelines. While most of these apps have already been removed from the Play Store, some developers have updated a few of them. McAfee strongly advises users who have any of these apps installed to uninstall them immediately.
McAfee’s Mobile Research Team recently uncovered a concerning trend among certain apps available on Google Play. These apps showed ads even when the device’s screen was inactive. Initially appearing beneficial, this practice actually contradicts Google Play’s rules about ad display. The consequences go beyond advertisers paying for unseen ads; it negatively impacts users by draining battery life, consuming data, and posing potential risks like data leaks and disruption of user profiling due to Clicker behavior. McAfee shared this insight through a blog post.
Among the range of removed apps, the list includes various categories such as TV/DMB players, music downloaders, news, and calendar apps. If any of the 43 apps have been installed on your device, it is recommended to remove them promptly.
