Hello, ladies and gentlemen! I recently received a message from Google Play Protect stating that 2GIS is a malicious application. Representatives from 2GIS responded, asserting that the application is not malicious and requested not to uninstall it.
Let’s delve into the reasons for the blockage and consider whether it is necessary to remove 2GIS.
Update: 2GIS has released an update, and now even Play Protect does not consider the application malicious. If you receive a notification, you need to update the app, after which the notification will disappear.
2GIS: Malicious Application or Not?
Recently, many users received a notification from Play Protect, looking like this:
In the official Telegram channel, representatives of 2GIS provided a response. In short, the application requests only necessary permissions, does not steal data, and the reasons why Play Protect considers the application malicious are unknown.
Yes, the application does request several permissions:
Access to contacts, likely needed for finding friends on maps. Perhaps the inclusion of this feature led to the consideration of 2GIS as a malicious application.
Microphone access, required for using the voice assistant.
Location, essential for the functioning of maps.
Photos and videos, to upload user-generated content, for example, when posting reviews.
Phone access, needed for support calls and dialing numbers directly from the application.
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of permissions, but disabling some features will still allow the application to function.
The application doesn’t make any supernatural requests. It has a similar set of permissions as many other applications.
So, why did Google suddenly decide to equate 2GIS with a virus? There could be several reasons, and dubious competition is unlikely to be the key one.
When attempting to open 2GIS, you will receive a notification that the application is trying to access your personal data, such as SMS, photos, audio recordings, and call logs.
2GIS itself will attempt to justify that it is not attempting anything malicious after being opened.
At the moment, I have a few assumptions:
2GIS accessed something it shouldn’t have, causing Google to consider the application malicious. However, then half of the applications should be considered the same.
The application requests too many permissions for one removed from Google Play, although many others in different stores have similar requirements.
In the latest update, developers made a mistake, causing Google to view the application as malicious.
The application may self-update, contradicting Google’s permission policy.
It requires many permissions granted only to apps authorized by the Play Market, such as location tracking in the background and access to contacts for location sharing.
For example, Google Play dislikes auto-updates, often criticizing apps that update automatically.
There is also a possibility that the current situation is related to Google’s new app moderation policy, subjecting certain apps, especially those removed from Google Play, to stricter scrutiny.
The exact reasons why Play Protect identifies 2GIS as malicious are still unknown. The company plans to appeal to Google to clarify the reasons, so we’ll have to wait.
If you are concerned about the safety of your data, you can simply revoke all permissions from the application, and it won’t have access to anything.
No notifications were received from AppGallery and Galaxy Store, and the application can be downloaded and installed without issues.
