Google enhances Android security with Advanced Protection Mode update

Google is preparing a new security enhancement for Android. A function discovered in the test build Android Canary 2602 expands the capabilities of the Advanced Protection Mode, first introduced in Android 16.

This innovation aims to restrict apps that use the AccessibilityService API if they are not classified as full-fledged accessibility tools. This API was originally created to assist people with disabilities—it allows apps to read screen content, track user actions, and perform gestures on their behalf.

Over time, AccessibilityService has been actively used by third-party apps, including automators, launchers, "optimizers," and even antivirus programs. Formally, this is for convenience, but in practice, such programs gain extended system privileges, which has often been used to bypass Android restrictions and for potential abuses.

Google has been gradually tightening the rules for several years. Apps genuinely intended for people with special needs must indicate the isAccessibilityTool attribute. These include screen readers, voice control, gesture interfaces, and braille systems.

According to analysis of the Android Canary test version, when Advanced Protection Mode is enabled, the system prohibits granting Accessibility Service permission to apps not recognized as accessibility tools and automatically revokes previously granted permissions from such programs.

If an app critically depends on this API, it may stop working entirely. During testing, for example, the utility dynamicSpot, which mimics Dynamic Island on Android, was blocked by the system with the label "Restricted by Advanced Protection." The reason is its use of AccessibilityService to read notifications and display elements over other apps.

Official accessibility tools are not subject to the new restrictions. The function is expected to appear in future versions of Android after testing is completed.