Accessibility tools Apps in Android 13 are disabled

Malware has always been a problem in the Android operating system, and one of the biggest causes of attack by hackers has been through access services on users’ phones. Accessibility APIs are powerful tools designed for developers to use to help users with disabilities, as they provide features such as reading content on the screen and entering inputs for this group of users.

Hackers or cybercriminals have exploited malware such as FluBot and tricked users into activating APIs for malware that could not be uninstalled. But that will change in Android 13, as Google will block these permissions on apps that are installed outside of the Google Play Store.

According to the XDA report quoted by Esper; Google prevents third-party applications from accessing APIs outside of its Google Play Store. Access APIs are essential for users with disabilities, but they also have tremendous control over the device. This is why the user has to manually activate the service in each application, but some users can be deceived by hackers if they do not know how to use it. As a result, this change by Google will prevent users from fully activating it for applications that are downloaded through your browser or messaging application.

Google has long fought against abusers of accessible services. In 2017, Google threatened to remove apps that use accessible APIs for anything other than helping disabled users from the Google Play Store, but this did not happen in 2017. In any case, Google The year 2021 has come, and now developers who plan to use Android Accessibility Services for purposes other than helping users with disabilities must obtain approval from Google.

In this operating system, any application that is installed on the device outside the Google Play Store can not use accessible APIs. If you want to enable access to such tools for such applications, you will see a message on your smartphone saying “This setting is not currently available for your security”.

In Android 13, any application that is loaded outside the App Store can not activate its access services. When you tap Activate it, your phone will get a message titled “This setting is not currently available for your security”.
This may initially be a concern for third-party app stores, Google confirmed in an interview with Esper that the move will not affect apps that are already installed.

In short, you will have no problem activating the access service for an add-on that is installed on the device through the session-based installer API. This installation method is commonly used by third-party app stores. In the case of applications that use other APIs to install, they will not be able to access the tools mentioned. This method is easier for developers to implement, because the installation of applications can be left to the system installer, and thus SMS applications, email clients and Browsers manage APK installation.