To make Android increasingly secure and hacker-proof, Google is trying to intensify its security systems, and has recently introduced updates relating to Play Integrity API. Play Integrity, present in every smartphone, is a defense mechanism that allows you to carry out a series of checks in order to evaluate whether the mobile phone, or an application, is sufficiently defended from attacks.
With this new update from Google, in particular, it will be possible to identify those devices that have not been updated for over a year and who, for this reason, are more at risk. This is why some applications, such as those from banks, may stop working at any moment. It happens because, not having received updates, I may have flaws, weak points to attack.
With the voice “meets strong integrity” Play Integrity certifies that the device is actually safe, as it was recently updated from an Android security point of view. The control is carried out on security patches which are sent by the manufacturers of the devices under consideration.
If the developer of certain apps – think of a bank’s apps, or those relating to payment platforms – has requested that the “meets strong integrity“, then it may actually happen that the application does not open. The app, in fact, will only be able to start if the device has been updated in the last 12 months, and has at least the Android 13 or later operating system. This is a service that Google is making available to developers and it is up to the latter to decide whether or not to use the Play Integrity API. This is why, therefore, some banking apps could do not open if we are not up to date with the updates.
This innovation, introduced to guarantee greater safety, is however generating perplexity and, in some cases, even
discontent. There is in fact the risk that those who find themselves in possession of old devicesdifficult to update, suddenly find themselves completely excluded.