Security News > 2023 > October > Huawei, Vivo phones tag Google app as TrojanSMS-PA malware
Huawei, Honor, and Vivo smartphones and tablets are displaying strange 'Security threat' alerts urging the deletion of the Google app, warning that it is detected as the 'TrojanSMS-PA' malware.
BleepingComputer contacted Google to determine if a recent app update might have caused the sudden uptick in malware warnings, but a spokesperson said Google Play Protect is not triggering the alert.
BleepingComputer has independently verified that these alerts were shown on a Huawei device with Google's core apps pre-installed and no side-loaded apps.
It is unclear what apps are displaying the alerts for Vivo or Honor phones.
If you have not side-loaded the Google app on your Huawei, Vivo, or Honor phone, it should be safe to ignore the warning and keep it running.
A proposed solution for disabling the "False alarm" is to go to Settings > Apps > Optimizer > App Info > Storage > Clear Cache / Clear Data and then reboot your device.
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