As the demand for Smart TVs has increased in the last few years, if for some reason you can’t buy a television full of modern technology-features, the option of making the old model at home ‘smart’ with the help of devices like cheap Android TV Box has become very popular. These types of devices allow streaming OTT content as well as accessing various apps on older TVs. But recently a security researcher cautioned against using them. According to him, devices such as TV boxes available on Amazon’s e-commerce platform are preloaded with malware. So if you are not careful, there may be great danger!
What is Google saying?
Android maker Google has also warned users that most devices marketed as Android TV OS-based boxes, are built through the Android open source program. Google apps and even the Play Store available on many such devices are not licensed by the company. Not only that, all the dongles and accessories that come with the Android TV box are also allegedly not certified by Google. So the company has issued a guide for users looking at the downside of these third-party devices. It can be used to check whether the device is Google and Play Protect certified. It will also ensure that there is malware on the TV or device.
Is Smart TV or Android TV Box safe? Check like this
Before buying any smart TV or Android TV box, you should visit the Android TV website and check its manufacturer list. After visiting the Android TV website, you need to go to its ‘Global Partners’ section. Incidentally, on this website you can see the information about whether TVs and products are Google certified. In this case if your device does not appear in the list, you can check its Google Play Protect status.
How to check Play Protect status on Android TV?
If you want to check the status of Google Play Protect for your TV or device, you first need to open the Google Play Store. Here you need to go to Settings after clicking on the profile icon displayed at the top right of the screen. In the next step, you can see if your product is Google certified by going to the ‘About’ (About) section of the settings and clicking on ‘Play protect certification’ (Play protect certification).
