Samsung Messages and Wallet were falsely flagged as “harmful” by Google
In the vast Android galaxy, Google Play Protect stands as the guardian, protecting devices from the clutches of malicious apps. But recently, some Galaxy users noticed something odd. Google decided to give a big red "harmful" stamp to not one, but two of Samsung's apps – Samsung Messages and Samsung Wallet. Users were greeted with a pop-up message from the Play Store, sternly advising them to bid farewell to these apps.
Before you point fingers at Samsung, here's the plot twist – this was no rebellion from the Korean tech giant. It was a classic oopsy-daisy moment on Google's end. In forums across the internet, users expressed their concerns, mostly about Samsung Wallet. But, thankfully, it wasn't Samsung going crook; it was just Google hitting the wrong button. (via 9TO5Google)
Samsung chimed in, explaining that this mishap was a result of a "temporary failure" on Google's side, and they quickly got to fixing it.
"It has been confirmed that the phenomenon of a device being marked as a harmful app with a pop-up saying there is a device security problem when using the Samsung Messages app was caused by a temporary failure of the Google server. It has now been restored and can be used normally," Samsung assured its users.
For those who obediently followed the pop-up instructions and disabled these apps, don't fret. You can bring them back into action by using the instructions.
In tech world tales, sometimes even the guardians slip on their capes, but the heroes – in this case, your apps – always find their way back.
Google Play Protect falsely flagging Samsung Wallet. Image credit - Samsung Community
Before you point fingers at Samsung, here's the plot twist – this was no rebellion from the Korean tech giant. It was a classic oopsy-daisy moment on Google's end. In forums across the internet, users expressed their concerns, mostly about Samsung Wallet. But, thankfully, it wasn't Samsung going crook; it was just Google hitting the wrong button. (via 9TO5Google)
Samsung chimed in, explaining that this mishap was a result of a "temporary failure" on Google's side, and they quickly got to fixing it.
For those who obediently followed the pop-up instructions and disabled these apps, don't fret. You can bring them back into action by using the instructions.
In the end, it was Google Play Protect that was briefly overprotective. Affected users were given the green light to re-enable Messages or Wallet.
In tech world tales, sometimes even the guardians slip on their capes, but the heroes – in this case, your apps – always find their way back.
Things that are NOT allowed: