Samsung Galaxy phones are among the most popular in the world, and for good reason. Their best models have excellent cameras, slick design, good battery life, and long software support – but a new update is coming soon that will improve the security of Galaxy phones too.
Unlike iPhones, Android phones – including Samsung Galaxy phones – can download apps from unauthorised sources. This is known as sideloading, and can be great if you want to install an app that isn’t listed on the official Android app store, the Google Play Store.
But sometimes the installation of apps from unauthorised sources, known as sideloading, can be risky. Though many are safe, sometimes these apps can contain malicious software designed to infect your phone and install phishing scams and other nasty programs.
With Samsung’s latest software One UI 6, the company is bringing a new feature called Auto Blocker. It’s an opt-in security feature that stops you being able to sideload apps, restricting you to the Google Play Store or Samsung’s Galaxy Store. When toggled on, Auto Blocker will give you peace of mind that you can only download safe apps from Google or Samsung’s verified app stores.
This will make your Galaxy behave a little more like the Apple iPhone, which can’t sideload apps and can only download apps from the official Apple App Store.
If you turn on Auto Blocker but come across an app you’d like to sideload, then no problem – you can simply untoggle the feature in your settings, install the app, then turn Auto Blocker back on.
One UI 6 is Samsung’s latest software update for Galaxy phones and is based on Android 14, the newest version of Android. It brings a fresh lick of paint to the look of your phone with the ability to customise more fonts, wallpapers and system colours, as well as handy security features such as Auto Blocker. One UI 6 also has a feature called Message Guard that scans links sent to you in Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and WhatsApp to protect you from links to malicious sources.
Samsung has pushed out One UI 6 to its Galaxy S23 series already, and will definitely be coming to these handsets in the near future:
Galaxy S23 series • Galaxy S22 series • Galaxy S21 series • Galaxy Z Fold 5 • Galaxy Z Fold 4 • Galaxy Z Fold 3 • Galaxy Z Flip 5 • Galaxy Z Flip 4 • Galaxy Z Flip 3 • Galaxy A54 • Galaxy A53 • Galaxy M54 • Galaxy M53
Samsung says the Auto Blocker feature currently will not work with US carrier models of Galaxy phones – that’s any phone on contract locked to a US mobile network.
