Some Galaxy S26 users facing Google Play Protect error

Many people around the world have gotten their hands on the Galaxy S26 series, thanks to Samsung starting the pre-order deliveries days earlier than promised, and with it making the phones available to purchase today. Well, some of those people seem to be facing a strange issue related to Google Play Protect.

On Reddit, a Galaxy S26 Ultra user reports that while they were using an app, a Google Play Protect screen popped up, saying “This device isn’t Play Protect certified” and “Your device isn’t certified to run Google apps or use Google services. Contact the device manufacturer or retailer and ask for a certified device.”

A few people commented on the post saying that their Galaxy S26 Ultra also threw the same error.  For some, the issue went away after some time, and for some, rebooting the device fixed the problem. Apps for which tight security measures are essential, such as banking apps, seem to be affected by this.

On Monday, Samsung released the first software update for the Galaxy S26 series. It brought the February 2026 security patch, fixing 37 security issues, and took away the ability to summon Perplexity by saying “Hey Plex.” Hopefully, the update fixes the Google Play Protect issue that people have been facing.