Samsung’s new Auto Blocker brings an extra layer of protection to its phones

While Google has tried to make Android as secure as possible, such as vetting apps that are submitted through the Play Store, scanning for malware, and so on, there are some security threats out there that can still slip past Android’s defenses.

Luckily for Samsung users, the company has announced a new security tool called Auto Blocker designed for its Galaxy smartphones. This is part of the Samsung One UI 6 update that will add extra security features to Samsung’s phones.

This includes being able to block the installation of apps from unknown sources, detecting malware and also checking for potential harmful commands while installing apps via USB, and more. Samsung is also expanding the Message Guard feature to third-party apps, a feature that mitigates zero-click attacks. The feature previously only worked with apps made by Google or Samsung.

One thing to note is that the Auto Blocker feature is completely opt-in. This means that if you’re fine with your phone the way it is right now, you don’t have to do anything. But if you’re concerned about the rise in malware and cybersecurity attacks, you can choose to enable the feature.

As we previously mentioned, Auto Blocker is part of the One UI 6 update, so if your device hasn’t received the One UI 6 update yet, then you won’t have access to this feature.