Google warns Cerberus anti-theft app for being too good at its job

Android has its own built-in tracking service for when your phone is lost or stolen, but a popular app called Cerberus has been offering these tools for even longer. Cerberus lives in the background so thieves don’t realize they’re being tracked. However, Google has told the Cerberus developers that their app is too stealthy.

Google says Cerberus is violating the Play Store’s Malicious Behavior Policy because of its use of cloaking and linking to APKs outside of the Play Store. There’s only one problem with Google’s warning: the cloaking features are exactly what makes the Cerberus app so useful. What good is an anti-theft app if the thief knows they’re being watched?

Cerberus will be removed if they don’t comply within 7 days. Hopefully, the Cerberus team can work something out with Google. A lot of people have paid for the app, and a notification to show the app is running would completely defeat the purpose.

[via Google+]