Google working on a security feature that prevents you from disabling Play Protect while on a call

Google is now working on introducing a new security feature in Android that makes the option to disable Play Protect unavailable during calls. This feature comes alongside the recently announced new security features for Google Messages that protect users from scams.

The new security feature basically prevents users from disabling Play Protect during voice calls. This will prevent malicious users from tricking you into installing apps that contain viruses or other bad stuff on your phone.


Google Play Protect serves as a safeguard to prevent you from installing unverified apps on your phone. However, Google lets you turn it off if you want to sideload apps that were erroneously flagged as harmful by the feature.

But scammers can exploit that option and trick you into installing a malicious app, which will no longer be the case with Google's latest effort to provide more security.

If you wish to disable Play Protect, you can do that from the Play Store settings. You will need to select the cog icon in the top-right corner and then tap the toggle next to the "Scan apps with Play Protect" option. This toggle will be grayed out during voice calls.

The update is currently rolled out only in Singapore. The latest Google Play Store release does contain the code to implement the change, but it is not available yet to other regions. We expect it to come to other parts of the world with a future update.

I personally love additional layers of security on a mobile device and any type of new protections and features is a good thing in my book. Some people tend to be slightly reckless when it comes to cybersecurity, so I think protecting them with additional features like this one is needed in some cases (I'm thinking of you, Mom.)