Google plans to introduce additional security measures for users of the Android version of Chrome, making mobile web browsing safer.
Mobile users will soon have access to some of the security checking tools currently only available in the desktop version of Chrome.
Currently only available as a hidden setting in the experimental Canary build of Chrome for Android, the browser's Safety Check feature has launched in the mobile version of the app. This safety tool runs important tests to ensure your browser settings are optimally configured.
The feature lets you run three checks to ensure your browser is as safe as possible. The first test checks that you have the Safe Browsing feature enabled, so you are protected from dangerous websites.
Second, Safety Check will scan the passwords you have saved in your browser to see if they have been compromised.
Finally, it will check if you have the latest version of Chrome installed so you have all the latest security updates.
However, the Android version of Safety Check is slightly different from the desktop version. Typically, the scan checks for dangerous browser add-ons installed , but since the Android mobile version doesn't support extensions , this particular feature isn't necessary.
If you want to try out Safety Check on Android for Chrome, you'll need to download the Canary build of the browser. This experimental version of the browser can be downloaded from the Play Store, but Google warns that: "This version has not been tested. It may be unstable or not run at times."
With Chrome Canary installed, you can enable Safety Check by going to chrome://flags, searching for “Safety Check,” and selecting “Enabled” from the drop-down menu under the “Safety Check on Android” section. After restarting Chrome, you can go to “Settings” and you’ll find that Safety Check is now available – just tap the “Check now” button to run tests .
