The revised method for distinguishing people from malware bots should make it easier for mobile users to prove they are human Credit: Rog01 Developers on the Android mobile platform, which has had ongoing problems with security, now have at their disposal an API intended to protect apps from malicious traffic and bots. Google is adding a Recaptcha API to Google Play Services for Android apps. The API is included with Google SafetyNet, a set of services and APIs to protect against threats that include device tampering and potentially harmful apps. Critical to the API is Google’s latest Recaptcha technology, which provides behind-the-scenes risk analysis and has let actual people pass through with no clicks. With Android apps updated to support the new API, mobile users can use their apps without being interrupted yet still avoid spam and abuse. Launched 10 years ago, the Recaptcha service was built to protect websites from spam and abuse, using an advanced risk analysis engine and adaptive Captchas, which are typically graphics containing text that people can read but not bots and other software. However, they are hard for many people to read, and can frustrate access when used. That’s why Google has been reworking the Recaptcha service to distinguish people from bots with less frustration, and to bring the technology to mobile apps where reading displays is even harder. Mobile DevelopmentSecuritySoftware DevelopmentTechnology Industry