Credit: Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
- Google could soon extend Play Protect to scan PWAs and WebAPKs during installation.
- This new feature could protect users from malicious PWAs used for phishing and data theft.
Google has been silently protecting most Android devices through Google Play Protect, scanning the apps that users have installed, and warning them of nefarious ones. While platform-native apps remain the most popular method to access a service, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) remain a good web-centric alternative. Unfortunately, bad actors will exploit any medium they can lay their hands on, and it becomes imperative for Google to protect its user base. We’ve now spotted code that suggests that Google Play Protect will start scanning Progressive Web Apps during installation to check for security issues, adding one more layer of security for users.