Highlights
1. Temporary failure of Google’s servers caused a security warning on Samsung Galaxy devices, marking the Samsung Messages app as harmful.
2. Google’s Play Protect service falsely detected something harmful with the Samsung Messages app.
3. To fix the issue, users can enable the Samsung Messages app by going to the Settings app, selecting the Apps menu, tapping on “Reset app preferences,” and confirming the decision.
4. These steps will work for all apps installed on the phone and can be used to enable mistakenly disabled apps.
## Samsung Outlines a Fix for the Samsung Messages “Harmful App” Issue
Some Samsung Galaxy users recently encountered an unusual issue where their device marked the Samsung Messages app as harmful, preventing them from using it. However, it was discovered that this was due to a temporary failure of Google’s servers, and there was no actual problem with the app. Samsung has now provided a solution for those who are still unable to use the app.
## The Cause of the Issue
According to a post on Samsung forums by a community moderator, the “harmful app” security warning for the Samsung Messages app was caused by a temporary issue on Google servers that broke Play Protect. Play Protect is a built-in service that protects Android devices from malware and harmful apps and is enabled by default on all Android devices with Google Play Services.
## False Detection of Harmful App
Google’s Play Protect scans billions of apps daily and sends an alert if it detects something malicious with the app you are using. In this case, it falsely detected something harmful with the Samsung Messages app. Although Google has fixed the error, some users may have already disabled the app based on the warning pop-up.
## How to Enable Samsung Messages
If you are unable to access the Samsung Messages app after encountering this error, you can enable it again by following these steps:
1. Open the Settings app and go to the Apps menu.
2. Tap on the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the screen and select “Reset app preferences.”
3. Confirm your decision by tapping “Reset” on the pop-up screen.
Please note that these steps will enable all apps that you have previously disabled and may reset your notification, background data, and permission settings. If you prefer, you can also manually enable Samsung Messages from the app list by finding the app, tapping on it to go into the info page, and selecting “Enable.” This should resolve the issue.
## Works for All Apps
It is unclear whether the recent failure of Google’s servers caused similar security errors with other apps or if only Samsung Messages was affected. However, the steps mentioned above will reset app preferences for all apps installed on your phone. If you have accidentally disabled any app, you can follow the same steps to enable it again. Remember to regularly update your apps and avoid downloading apps from unknown sources to stay safe from potential security issues.
