Android Users Will Experience Fewer APK Download Warnings on Chrome

Google Chrome, a highly popular web browser for both desktop and mobile devices, continuously evolves with new features to enhance user experience. Recently, there were reports about Chrome's new capability to automatically revoke site permissions. Adding to this, a new report suggests that Android users will soon encounter fewer warnings when downloading APK files via Chrome.

Fewer APK Download Warnings Coming to Chrome for Android

Downloading APK files from sources outside the Google Play Store poses significant risks, potentially leading to malicious software affecting users' devices. To mitigate this, Chrome on Android currently prompts users with a warning when they attempt to download APK files from websites.

Although these warnings are generally beneficial, they can sometimes be excessive or redundant, particularly for users who have already enabled Google Play Protect (GPP). Typically, when an APK file is downloaded through Chrome on Android, a “File might be harmful” warning is displayed, even if GPP is active. This redundancy is set to change.

Google acknowledges this issue and is developing a solution to reduce unnecessary APK download warnings for users with GPP enabled. This update comes from a recent discovery by MSPowerUser, which identified a Chromium commit indicating this upcoming feature. The change will extend to all types of downloads, not just APK files, ensuring that users won’t see the “File might be harmful” warning if they haven’t yet selected a download location.

Conditional Download Warnings to Enhance User Safety

While the “File might be harmful” warnings will still appear for users who have disabled Google Play Protect, this is deemed a reasonable compromise. These warnings play a crucial role in prompting users to be cautious about the files they download and install on their Android devices.

Currently, these changes are under testing, with no specified release date. Ultimately, these planned updates aim to offer Android users a safer and more streamlined browsing experience on Chrome.