Android System SafetyCore: what it does and why you may want to remove it
When Google released the October 2024 security update for Android, it made no mention of a new app that it integrated in the update. Android System SafetyCore was suddenly installed and users did not know what it did. It is probably the secrecy around this app that is worrying many Android users currently.
Google did announce its functionality in a blog post in October 2024, but without mentioning the apps' name. In 5 new protections on Google Messages to help keep you safe, it mentioned the new "Sensitive Content Warnings give you control over seeing and sending images that may contain nudity." under point four.
Here is how this works in a nutshell according to Google:
- It is an optional feature that has two main purposes:
- Scan images for nudity and blur them.
- Warn users when they are about to send images with nudity using Google Messages.
- Google says the scanning happens on the device and that it has no access to the contents of images.
- The feature is enabled for Android users under the age of 18, but disabled for adults.
In other words: Google added a new app to most Android devices that is scanning images for nudity automatically. While disabled for adults, it does run on the Android devices of minors automatically.
The app has an abysmal rating of 1.4 on Google's Play Store currently and has been installed on over 1 billion devices at the time of writing.
Many users describe it as spyware, or spyware-like and object to the automatic scanning of images. While some of those reviews are likely the result of clickbait articles, the underlying message is clear:
- Google installed a new app on user devices.
- The app scans images automatically to determine nudity.
- Google gives its word that this all happens on the local device.
User outrage might not have been this dramatic if Google would have been open about the feature in the first place. If Google would have been more transparent about this, for instance by informing users that a new application was installed as part of the Android update, explaining its purpose, and giving users the option to enable or disable it, it would probably not have come to this.
Google chose a different route. Sneak the app in without telling anyone, enabling it by default on the devices of minors, letting it scan images for nudity by default, and still not telling anyone about it.
Good news is that you can disable or remove the application from your Android device. The following paragraphs explain how this works.
How to remove Android System SafetyCore
First thing you may want to do is find out if the app is installed on your Android device.
- Open the Settings on the Android device.
- Select the Apps section.
- Scroll down the list to see if Android System SafetyCore is listed there.
If the app is listed, do the following to remove or disable it.
- Tap on Android System SafetyCore.
- Tap on the Uninstall button on the page that opens. (some users may only be able to select disable).
- Confirm the removal of the app with a tap on ok.
This uninstalls the app from the device. Note that there is no guarantee that it won't be pushed to the device again in a future update.
Quick sidenote: I could not find the setting to turn the nudity scanner on or off on my device. Maybe that is the part that is still rolling out.
Now it is your turn: what is your take on this new app? Do you plan to keep it or will you remove it? Feel free to leave a comment down below.
@Akina,
Well, I just checked again and also on the Play Store list, some of which I won’t install anyway like Google Slides, Google Partnership, Google WiFi and stuff like that, but no Android System SafetyCore to be seen anywhere. Nether does the System Key Verifier appear anywhere either.
If you have nothing to hide, you won’t ever be concerned about Android System SafetyCore.
Miko Hypponen explains this nicely – but..I have nothing to hide https://youtu.be/9CqVYUOjHLw?si=l8hscrAoS5SW8Ukv&t=823
Get real. Regardless if I did or didn’t, I really don’t want someone like (specially) Google scanning anything, regardless if it’s a Kitty calendar pic or “porn star with the hottest boobs”(already know that one)on my android. Google has shown itself (to me) to be the”King Snake”to using info and sensitive info and collecting massive amounts of user’s data with or without their knowledge or permission all to build user’s profiles and then sell it off to AD companies. Which has all been proven facts. Yeah I uninstalled this app immediately.
Nudity.
Oh wey, with the US as one if not the largest producer of porn the planet has ever seen… there may be a day when we all are ready to ditch these spy devices out of the window. But as of today we are not ready.
On Android 13 which is the maximum system update my Motorola Moto G82 will receive the Android System SafetyCore is not installed and also not present on the pending updates list so I assume it won’t arrive.
Other than that I mainly use apps from the F-Droid store rather than from the Play Store. Anything originating from Google should be avoided like the plague IMHO.
I’ll send the article to my girlfriend however because she has a Samsung S24+ Ultra and it’ll definitely be installed on that I would imagine.
I have Android 10 and 11 devices that no longer get any system update but SafetyCore still installed, it’s pushed by Play Store automatically. There is also another app called Android Sytem Key Verifier installed but I’m not sure about deleting it.
The app cannot be uninstalled. Only “Clear Data” available.
** Just found this “SNEAKY APP” on my Phone — Going to DELETE It Immediately !!
Try other tools that dead with uninstalling apps. If the app did not come pre-installed with the device, there is a chance it can be removed. My device, Xiaomi Redmi 10C cannot uninstall stuff like Google Chrome or YouTube, but I can only disable them.
I’ve found some programs on Google Play that allow you to uninstall some apps that normally don’t show the option, even though it’s possible.
Time to ditch Google Play because Google’s in May 2025 Google will push everyone over to the new ‘Play Integrity’, see https://www.androidauthority.com/play-integrity-upgrades-3505270/
to quote, “Play Integrity gives Android apps powerful tools to only operate under their own terms. That means that apps can make sure your phone’s not rooted, for instance, or that you’re not running a custom ROM.
There are also consequences for users who like to sideload apps, even when running on otherwise unmodified Android handsets. Play Integrity has introduced a check to make sure that apps were installed through the Play Store, and Google expects to see more apps fail this check with Play Integrity’s upgrades.”
This app is Big Tech Spyware. CSS (Client Side Scanning). Just like Apple scanning your phone for CSAM images. The purpose is not to “help you out” by keeping you from accidently sending certain types of images to an unintended recipient. It’s purpose is to collect screenshots from apps like Signal, WhatsApp, & Telegram because they can’t defeat End-2-End Encryption. With your helpful AI Assistant keylogger and CSS you can wave goodbye to your last vestige of privacy. Rob Brahm has a new video out about this on YouTube. There needs to be a serious effort put forth for Open Silicon, Freeboot, Coreboot, Linux phones, end user owned cellular wireless mesh networks, etc. Spending north of $1000 for a phone that spies on your every move is sheer lunacy.
“Rob Brahm has a new video out about this on YouTube.”
Pardon me but do you mean Rob Braxman?
Here are two of his newer videos on the subject at odysee.
End-to-End Encryption Now a Historical Footnote. They Won.
https://odysee.com/@RobBraxmanTech:6/e2edead:5
And
Client Side Scanning – The Matrix is Complete! https://odysee.com/@RobBraxmanTech:6/see-x:2
Removed. Thanks for the warning.
Thank you for this article. This software was present on my Motorola, Android 14. I promptly dleted it even though I don’t send or receive any risque photos.
Google also sneakily installed Security Key Authenticator spyware without my or any users consent. Says it is used for their Messages App so they can read what your texting, useless for me since I don’t use their Messaging app.
Not found on my Samsung A55 with the February patch. Could it be under a different name, depending on your phone’s language setting? Wouldn’t surprise me at all.. and maybe even hidden as a system app? And then they wonder why people degoogle their phones. Not everyone is a pedophile terrorist, most of us just don’t want our phones to do stuff we never asked for. I highly recommend NetGuard, then at least you can stick it to the man a little bit and block internet access for apps, without rooting your phone. Yeah, your calculator really needs internet access at all times to “verify that numbers are still numbers” 24/7 you know…
Funny, I checked also on a Samsung A55 and it was installed on it.
I have previously used this debloater https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation/releases to get rid of a bunch of Google garbage, maybe that new crap needed some of them to function/install. Will keep checking to make sure it doesn’t appear. Thanks for the heads up anyway!