Investigating security alerts on Huawei, Vivo, and Honor devices targeting Google’s core apps reveals potential false positives.
Smartphones and tablets from Huawei, Honor, and Vivo display ‘Security threat’ alerts, urging users to delete the Google app, citing ‘TrojanSMS-PA’ malware. Allegedly involved in secret SMS sending without consent, the app prompts immediate uninstallation due to perceived high risk.
Detailed warnings suggest the app discreetly sends SMS, potentially linked to harmful activities, urging prompt uninstallation to prevent property damage and privacy breaches. Despite user reports, Google denies Google Play Protect triggering these alerts, indicating a recent app update might not be the cause.
According to a Google spokesperson, the security notification doesn’t come from Google Play Protect but possibly originates from uncertified devices lacking official Google core app access. They recommend contacting the device manufacturer for details, highlighting Google Play as the sole source for official Google core apps, all of which undergo rigorous testing for safety and quality.
BleepingComputer confirmed these alerts on a Huawei device with pre-installed Google core apps and no side-loaded apps, questioning Google’s explanation for not accurately representing affected Android devices.
The ‘Huawei Optimizer’ app on Huawei devices displays these alerts, but the apps causing alerts on Vivo or Honor phones remain unclear.
If users haven’t side-loaded the Google app, they can likely ignore the warning. Although likely false positives, no official comment from device makers confirms this.
A potential solution involves accessing Settings > Apps > Optimizer > App Info > Storage > Clear Cache / Clear Data or uninstalling and reinstalling the Huawei Optimizer app to address these incorrect warnings.
Despite attempts to contact Huawei and Vivo, no response has been received regarding these issues.
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