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Google brings reCAPTCHA to Android with new API, integrated into Play Services

CAPTCHAs are a particular nuisance on the web, and even more so on mobile devices with smaller displays to read and type. However, they are a necessary annoyance, with Google now bringing it to Android as part of Play Services.

The first reCAPTCHA Android API is coming on the tenth anniversary of the security measure in order to keep “mobile applications and data safe.”

It is launching with the latest iteration of the technology — Invisible reCAPTCHA — that runs “risk analysis behind the scene and has enabled millions of human users to pass through with zero click everyday.”

However, if you do have to enter a street number or sign to verify that you aren’t a bot, the experience will be streamlined and optimized for mobile.

As it is integrated into Play Services, the majority of active Android devices will have access to it. The API is a part of Google SafetyNet, which includes Safe Browsing for apps. As a result of this integration, mobile developers can do device and user attestations in the same API to more efficiently mitigate the security risks of their apps.

Google has a site for developers who want to integrate reCAPTCHA into their apps, with the API coming soon to iOS.


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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com