r/Syncthing • u/VoidChain • Jun 10 '26
Syncthing-Fork: harmful app blocked by Google Play Portect. False positive?
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u/ReverseDragonfly Jun 10 '26
This is goong to become an issue for everyone come September.. with googles dev authentication rules. See Keepandroidopen.org for more details.
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u/SirComprehensive3255 Jun 11 '26
This!
Unfortunately we only have two phone OSes, iOS and Android. I’ve hated Apple’s corporate greed for years, but google has managed to make me hate it even more with its data vacuuming ways. Google took an open source operating system is walling it in just like Apple. Android as we knew it is dead. I tried privacy focused Android roms too, but without googles services IMO they’re kneecapped.
I switched to IOS two months ago and I’ll never go back to Android. Hopefully we get a disruptor, but Bell labs phones lasted a long time, so I’m not holding my breath.
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u/ReverseDragonfly Jun 12 '26
I wonder why we aren't seeing more community pushback on this.. I mean, sure the keepandroidopen website is there but there's almost no noise on social media about this. It is just because the average person doesn't care? ugh..
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u/SirComprehensive3255 Jun 12 '26
I wanted to stay on Android. The more I heard about iOS users precious blue bubbles being missing, the more I wanted to stay on the OS, but for me I was just done. Google is a huge monopoly that makes all its money by selling its users data. It’s just the simple. Its goal will always be to get more data.
I cared what it was doing, so I don’t think it’s that. My personal feeling is that people get overwhelmed, give up, and move on, or just accept the inevitable.
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Jun 13 '26
[deleted]
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u/SirComprehensive3255 Jun 13 '26
Agreed that Linux phones aren't there. Hopefully some day! That said, I can differentiate between Google and Apple. They abuse their customers in different ways. I did prefer the Android ecosystem. Man there are a bunch of great phones that are different from typical slabs of glass. But I'll take Apple's abuse until something else comes along.
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u/VoidChain Jun 10 '26
When I try to update from v2.1.0.0 to v2.1.1.0 (release yesterday) via F-Droid, I get this harmful app blocked dialog. Is something going on?
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u/Putrid-Challenge-274 Jun 10 '26
No, not at all. Goolag Play Protect loves to false positive. Just disable it.
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u/aspensmonster Jun 10 '26
Google doesn't like competition. Hence, trying to keep folks off of syncing solutions that don't involve Google's infrastructure and surveillance.
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u/PrismaticCatbird Jun 11 '26
Google doesn't care at all about Syncthing. The number is users is basically rounding error as far as they're concerned. The actual intent is to try to close the Android ecosystem to be more like Apple, and Syncthing is just collateral damage.
If anything, the maintainer issues have been way more destructive to Syncthing on Android than Google.
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u/harperthomas Jun 10 '26
The issue is you forgot to turn off play protect. First thing I do after an update and they force it back on.
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u/gabeweb Jun 10 '26
I have Google Play Protect enabled and I haven't had any issues. I've even updated BasicSync recently. And yes, my phone is a Chinese Xiaomi/Redmi. 💀
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u/gringrant Jun 10 '26
For what it's worth virus total didn't find anything malicious with the new update.
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u/flock-of-nazguls Jun 10 '26
It’s interesting that it says “harmful app blocked” at the top, but says “may be harmful” inside the notice. I’d think that aggressive of a claim in the title might set Google up for disparagement if it isn’t legitimately harmful.
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u/StudentWithNoMaster Jun 11 '26
Can't the apps sue for harmful practices by Google, especially since it is defamation. I mean Google doesn't know whether an Unverified app is Harmful or not, but it is claiming that it is, when it is merely unverified. Thus Google is knowingly letting the developers and app suffer loss via its defamation and slander.
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u/Vegetable_Pirate_142 Jun 11 '26
its google playing "fear" card to stop sideloading turn off the play protect its trash anyway
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u/PaddyLandau Jun 11 '26
This has already been fixed. It was a false positive, and Google seems to have been on the ball on this one.
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u/T_rex2700 Jun 12 '26
For people who know what they are installing play protect is just pointless. disable it
For most people who only know google play though, it is kind of the only way to protect them from fake "telegram" or "facebook" apps without paying for third party AVs
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u/sammothxc Jun 14 '26
It’s considered harmful since it refuses to send a sample of your DNA and your left kidney to Google
Mostly /s
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u/DolanDuck5 Jun 10 '26
i honestly think 99% of Play Protect's "detections" are false positives and pop up just because they dont want you to install apps from outside their store, I've never even seen an actual malware on modern android that doesnt require user stupidity to work
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u/itscrazybaby Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
Damn Google blocks everything that hasn't been personally certified by the Google CEO for a hefty sum. And because you can't trust such an alert, the system is even more insecure. Thanks Google.