We send almost 600 million messages via WhatsApp every day, a truly staggering figure. And we almost do it without doubting who is on the other end of the phonethe person who would normally be our trusted contact. However, it is not strange that malicious users manage to impersonate us, especially if we do not pay attention to our mobile security. To do this, Google has a new plan to verify who we’re talking to.

this one Android app and tool This was discovered by Android Authority, a verifier that will tell us if we’re sending a message to the right person. A new layer of security comes to our mobile phone, following the addition of the theft detection feature that we recently tested. We tell you how it works.

Google Contact Authenticator

As we read in specialized media, a few days ago Google updated its page listing “News about Google system updates” that come regardless of the manufacturer of our phone. Well, among these latest developments there is a new service: Android System Key Verifier.

Screenshots by Android Authority and Mishaal Rahman

This simply comments that it “allows developers to store end-to-end encryption keys” without going into further detail. However, Android Authority managed to access the new application thanks to the installation APK file. And after review they give us the keys to it verification tool.

Although it was first announced as a feature in Android 15, which was released on Vivo a few weeks ago, it is compatible with previous versions of the Google OS: its compatibility points to Android 10, with a small requirement for Google Play, which comes pre-installed on our phones. .

Of course, there is currently no app that takes advantage of this Android System Key Verifier, but its listing on the Play Store tells us what we can expect when it arrives. Mostly, It has two components: The first allows messaging applications like Google “Messages” to store encryption keys, the second is a user interface through which we can share our encryption keys with other people in the form of a QR code.

Likewise, this app will also allow you to scan the QR code in case someone else shares it with us. How does the vehicle work? It’s simple: When you create a contact, they can share their QR, so when you scan it, Your device is associated with this person.

In case we suspect that we are dealing with a bot or that the real person behind the person is not there, we may ask you to verify the initially generated keys: if you are responding from a different device, the codes will not conflict, a very clear piece They may have impersonated our connection.

As it turns out, it’s unknown how keys will be verified once added, but Android Authority points to a system similar to Apple’s in iOS 17.2: Shows an alert when an unrecognized device is added to a contact. On the other hand, it was learned that the function will also appear in the “Contacts” section of Google.

Google has already commented He was working on the contact verification feature in the “Messages” app. Without knowing if he is talking about this tool, it is worth noting that it may arrive this year, but the requirements announced at that time (Android 9) are far from what is available now. We will carefully monitor any possible official announcement.

via | Android Authority

Cover image | Image Maker with Photoshop AI

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