Numerous reports have surfaced from Huawei and Honor device users, indicating that their phones are erroneously flagging Google apps as Trojan malware, specifically identified as TrojanSMS-PA. According to these reports, this so-called “malicious software” possesses the capability to send SMS messages without user consent.
This happened even on older series of phones e.g. Nova 3i, Mate 20 etc. The onboard antivirus is provided by AVAST.
Evidence of this issue extends across various user forums, including Reddit and Google Support, suggesting that this problem is not isolated. It appears to have emerged following the latest Google app update and is primarily associated with Huawei’s Phone Manager or Optimizer app.
The warning message for the “This app is infected” alert provides specific details:
“This app was detected sending SMS privately, enticing users to pay with adult content, downloading/installing apps privately, or stealing private information, which may cause property damage and privacy leakage. We recommend uninstalling it immediately.”
Interestingly, antivirus applications such as Norton and AVG do not classify the Google app as malicious. This leads to a strong presumption that the issue is, in fact, a false positive. While no official statement has been issued by Huawei at this time, the prevailing opinion suggests that this is a glitch in Huawei and Honor’s security software, rather than a legitimate security threat from Google.
Could it be AVAST security scanner triggered this after it’s latest definition updates?
The official Android support forums are flooded with new posts concerning this specific problem.
How to Solve the of the Huawei phone flagging Google App as a virus
One approach involves disabling the Google app on Huawei devices, removing any updates, and then reinstalling it. This approach has proven effective in some cases, as reported by affected users. Alternatively you can install the Google Go app instead.
Alternatively, some users have found success in resolving the false positive warning by clearing the data from Huawei’s Phone Manager app – Optimizer.
Considering the visibility and seriousness of this situation, it is likely that both Google and Huawei will release a patch to rectify the issue in the near future.
Are you affected and how did you resolve it ?