Google will strictly limit the use of accessibility features in Android 13
Based on security considerations, Google will continue to strictly limit the use of Android accessibility features, and the restrictions will be even stricter in the Android 13 version. Accessibility was originally designed for people with disabilities, such as screen reading and voice commands for control and input. But Android accessibility has been heavily abused over the past few years, with many apps not designed for people with disabilities but using accessibility to develop other features.
Even before, there are malware that used auxiliary functions to automatically click on advertisements, steal verification codes, automatically download and promote applications, and so on. Based on these circumstances, Google has considered strictly restricting accessibility functions.
Currently, if a developer uses accessibility features, the application must theoretically be designed for disabled people, and if not, the developer needs to provide detailed instructions. Only when the reason is sufficient can it be listed on the Google Play Store for users to download, and other unnecessary calls will be directly rejected by Google.
In this case, hackers can also induce users to install by directly downloading the installation package, thereby bypassing Google’s censorship mechanism and continuing to invoke auxiliary functions. Google has discovered this vulnerability and is preparing to tighten restrictions in Android 13. If it is installed through the installation package, it will directly prohibit the invocation of auxiliary functions.
Via: esper