- Google Chrome for Android may soon reduce how often it shows the “file may be harmful” warning.
- The warning won’t be shown anymore if the user has Google Play Protect enabled.
- However, the warning will still appear if Play Protect is disabled, plus Chrome will show a new warning to enable Play Protect as well.
While the Google Play Store is undoubtedly the number one destination for downloading the best Android apps, it’s not the only repository for them. There are several third-party app stores and websites from which to download Android apps. If you use Google Chrome to download Android apps from online sources, though, you usually need to acknowledge that the files might be harmful before Chrome will let you download them. Soon, though, Google Chrome for Android may reduce how often it warns you about downloading Android apps.
When trying to install third-party apps without the Google Play Store, you need to obtain an Android application package (APK). These can be obtained from various online sources, but generally, it’s best to stick with official websites or websites that people trust. Since many hackers try to trick people into downloading malicious Android apps through fake websites, Chrome throws up a general “file might be harmful” warning when downloading any APK file. While this probably does protect a lot of Chrome users against harmful Android apps, it also unfairly maligns legitimate online sources and serves as a barrier to sideloading.