Android 16 Advanced Protection

[MNas04]

Ive been reading about this over the past few weeks. Its seems to be a good security feature to have. But I'm convinced that its quite similar to Samsung Auto Blocker. I'm not sure if this will be included in One UI 8 when its get released. What are your thoughts on this 🤔 

https://security.googleblog.com/2025/05/advanced-protection-mobile-devices.html?m=1

https://youtu.be/F9WWS3g6ulg?si=SfzIC9Uc_XU4hmSu

[arianwen27]

I've been using it since the beta came out, I actually made a suggestion to merge it with auto blocker.

The main differences are advanced protection force enables play protect, reboots the phone after 3 days of being locked, forces spam protection on google messages and forces some setting changes in google Chrome.

The main things for me is the 3 day auto reboot, besides that, it is basically just auto blocker while changing some settings in google apps.

I currently have both auto blocker and advanced protection enabled. They don't fight each other or anything so no harm.

Auto blocker is the samsung only system. Advanced protection is for all android phones. Because of this, samsung and google both kinda made the same thing at around the same time

[MNas04]

I do agree. Having them both merged together does provide strong protection against phone hacking and other security threats. How does the advanced protection look like on the security and privacy settings

[arianwen27]

Advanced protection is within the google part of settings, not security and privacy. The samsung side of the phone has no idea it exists. To the point if you enable advanced protection, it disables 2g, but the 2g toggle in normal settings shows it's still enabled. I'm guessing it is disabled, the phone just can't tell

[MNas04]

I have my google account enrolled on advanced protection for the past few years. Hope it gets does merged together. I'd say it's better than having an anti-virus.

[arianwen27]

Kinda fun fact about that.

When your google account is enrolled in advanced protection, you can't install sideloaded apps. BUT, you can update them. So if you installed one before enabling it or installed one using a computer, you can update it as normal on the phone.

If you enable advanced protection on the phone or auto blocker, you cannot update sideloaded apps.

So for me having some sideloaded apps, I disable auto blocker and advanced protection on the phone, update the app, turn them back on.

To install a brand new app, I need to either disable it on my account or use my pc and adb

[MNas04]

It doesn't bother me. As i don't do sideloading. As most of my apps are from the Play Store. I guess Google is getting some of the features from Samsung and them adding them to Android.

[arianwen27]

Sorta, I think this has been in the works for quite a long time. As in, a while back there was a google play system update that added the code for the 3 day reboot, but never enabled it. Now advanced protection has enabled it.

Makes me think it's been long over due to be added

[MNas04]

Yes, it has. It's good to have if needed. I like google side gives you the option to enable certain features. Where as auto blocker is forced. I mean, i don't use samsung messages as I use Google. Im not sure whether if certain features on Auto Blocker works on Google messages.

[arianwen27]

I wouldn't say auto blocker is forced. It has kinda 3 modes. Off, on and maximum restrictions.

Advanced protection is just on or off.

Auto blocker used to restrict samsung messages, but that's been sorta dead for a long time. Only advanced protection changes settings on google apps. That being the play store, messages and chrome