Google’s Play Protect service, which helps protect you from accidental malware download, is now blocking the installation of the AnTuTu benchmarking app. Google Chrome also warns users who navigate to the official Antutu download page that the site contains “harmful applications.” This news follows the removal of the app from the Play Store earlier this year.
Xataka Android first saw the news, but we don’t know why Google has specifically stepped up its fight against AnTuTu. Play Protect’s warning states that the app “may collect data that could be used to track you,” and Chrome’s warning almost reflects that:
Left: Chrome warning on the AnTuTu download page. Right: Play Protect blocks the installation of the application.
Both warnings can be bypassed, but will likely be enough to prevent most potential users from installing the app. We have tested previous versions of AnTuTu and received the same Play Protect warning in the latest versions 8.3.9 and 8.3.5. However, 8.3.4 and earlier do not seem to trigger the warning.
In case you’re unfamiliar, Play Protect is a Google service built into most Android phones (through Google Play services) that scans the apps it installs for problems like malware. It’s been around for a while, but was switched from a background service to a foreground feature in 2017. Chrome’s warning is part of the Safe Browsing initiative that has been around since 2007.
Is technically possible That those latest versions of AnTuTu include some form of malware, and Google is doing its best to block the app installation for users, but the warnings are a bit nebulous. Still, it is unlikely that Google would have done so without good reason.
We have reached out to both Google and AnTuTu to learn more about this change and precisely why Google will endeavor to block access to AnTuTu, but neither company has responded yet. In the meantime, if you’re running an older version of the app, consider waiting a bit for the dust to settle before checking out one of these newer updates.
