Kelvin Wankhede\/Android Authority<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
TL;DR<\/p>\n
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- Google is making Play Services mandatory for its next-generation reCAPTCHA system on Android.<\/li>\n
- Your phone must be running Play Services version 25.41.30 or higher when the system asks you to scan the QR code for verification.<\/li>\n
- This barrier means that de-Googled phones will fail the verification test by default.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
CAPTCHA tests are annoying, but at the same time, they can help protect websites from bots. Although these tests are already the bane of our internet existence, for some Android users they are about to get even worse. Requiring Google’s next-generation reCAPTCHA system will make browsing the web much harder for de-Googled phones.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nA reddit user<\/a> highlights a seemingly innocuous support page<\/a> For Google’s reCAPTCHA system. The page in question pertains to troubleshooting reCAPTCHA verification on mobile. In the document, it states that you will need to use a compatible mobile device to complete verification. If you have an Android phone, this means you need to be running Google Play Services version 25.41.30 or higher.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nThis requirement will apply when the system suspects suspicious activity. At that point, reCAPTCHA will skip the old image puzzles and require you to scan a QR code with your smartphone to prove you’re human. Although this will stop an autonomous bot in its tracks, it also adds another step to verification. But the problem goes a little deeper than the annoyance of an extra step.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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