- A new Android System Key Verifier app is rolling out on Android devices.
- This app is a system service that lets developers store their end-to-end encryption keys and lets users verify their apps are using the correct keys when communicating.
- These keys help you confirm that messages are likely coming from a device that was set up by your contact and not some malicious third party.
When you’re communicating with someone over a messaging app, how do you know the person you’re chatting with is who they say they are? All too often, people’s online accounts get hijacked and used to scam other people they know. One good way to verify a person is who they say they are is to ask them something that only the real person would know, and that’s basically what Google’s new Android System Key Verifier app is designed to do.
A couple of days ago, Google updated its “what’s new in Google System Updates” page to announce it was rolling out a new system service called Android System Key Verifier. The page only said that Android System Key Verifier “lets developers store end-to-end encryption keys,” but it didn’t offer any further details. Fortunately for us, some users have already received the new app, such as Jason Lim, who shared the APK file with us.