CONNECT WITH US
Tech

Tech

This Samsung Galaxy feature can protect you from untrustworthy apps

Engadget logo

Published on

Add as a preferred source on Google
This Samsung Galaxy feature can protect you from untrustworthy apps

Samsung's Auto Blocker keeps threats at bay, but it can also get in your way.

If you own a Samsung Galaxy phone running One UI 6.0 or later, you may have a built-in security feature called Auto Blocker working in the background without even realizing it. Enabled by default on devices that ship with One UI 6.1.1 or later, it filters out apps, USB commands and messages that could put your device at risk without you even having to lift a finger. For most people, that's a super useful layer of protection in a world where threats are extremely common and can come from apps, a public charging cable or images you get in a text.

But Auto Blocker isn't without its complications, especially for users who like to sideload apps, work with developer tools or install software from outside the Google Play Store or the Samsung Galaxy Store. Epic Games even filed a lawsuit against Samsung a couple of years ago, arguing that this very feature made downloading third-party apps unnecessarily difficult.

Understanding what Auto Blocker actually does and what it doesn't can help you make a smarter decision about whether to keep it on, turn it off or somewhere in between. Let's see what this feature does, how you can enable or disable it and what's the best thing to do.

Auto Blocker is a built-in security feature available on Galaxy devices using One UI 6 or higher. Its main job is to stop app installation from outside the Google Play Store or Samsung's Galaxy Store, efficiently closing off one of the most common ways malware ends up on a phone.


Source link

Disclaimer

We strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our reporting and coverage. We TheMorningPulse.fyi want to be transparent with our readers about any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in our work. It's possible that some of the investors we feature may have connections to other businesses, including competitors or companies we write about. However, we want to assure our readers that this will not have any impact on the integrity or impartiality of our reporting. We are committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news and information to our audience, and we will continue to uphold our ethics and principles in all of our work. Thank you for your trust and support.