Google removes 43 dubious apps that apparently drain battery

Google recently removed harmful apps that were covertly using a phone’s battery. The warning was issued after McAfee’s security team found close to 43 apps that might show adverts when the device isn’t in use. The discovery prompted Google Play Store to remove these dubious apps since they may utilise mobile data even while the screen is off. 

This finding violates Google's rules and contradicts the Google Play Developer policy. Though there are regulations but still some developers sought to exploit this loophole to generate ad clicks without user consent.

Google has removed many of these apps from its Play Story but almost 2.5 million users had already downloaded them prior to their removal. The prominent apps that are identified by McAfee include TV/DMB Player, Music Downloader, News, and Calendar applications. These ads often remain dormant for several weeks after the initial app installation, making detection more challenging.      

McAfee has advised to be careful while downloading the new apps and also recommends reviewing the permissions requested by the software before installation.  

For users experiencing battery drain, it's essential to consider possible app-related issues. However, one should also acknowledge that the cause could be an aging device or a damaged battery . Hence, users are advised to be cautious when granting permissions to unknown apps and only provide necessary permissions for app functionality.

McAfee's guidance mentioned the importance of critically assessing the need to grant permissions like power-saving exclusion or drawing over other apps. While some permissions are crucial for legitimate background operations, users should be mindful of potential risks associated with hidden behaviors and the impact on ad relevance.

Meanwhile, Google's Play Store has been combatting challenges coming from its vast popularity. With nearly 3 million apps and games, the platform has struggled to prevent the infiltration of malicious apps and policy-violating software.