Live threat detection was one of the standouts when Android 15 was trailed earlier this year. Using on-device AI, the idea is that users will be warned in real time if an app is exhibiting potentially malicious behavior, before it’s flagged across the board by Play Protect.

Nearly four months later, I don't think I'm being hyperbolic in calling these goals a failure. The Play Store was, in the eyes of many, already racing towards a fundamentally poor place to find and download worthwhile apps and games,

This active monitoring lets Google Play Protect identify potentially harmful apps that may attempt to conceal malicious behavior or remain inactive for a period before engaging in suspicious activity. The real-time alerts tell users immediately if a harmful app or scam call is detected and let them take action to protect their data and devices.

Not everyone appears to be experiencing these errors.

Android Authority reports that code within the Google Play Store APK hints at the possibility of resuming cancelled downloads.

Google is bringing real-time alerts to Pixel devices that will notify you whenever a dangerous app is detected on your device.