Android trusted credentials are one of the more confusing things you may find within the Settings of your Android device – however, they’re not as confusing as they appear.
And actually, certificate authorities are actually beneficial for those using Android devices and the web, as the internet relies on these certificate authority to improve device security.
Here’s why trusted credentials are a good thing for Android users, and how they can help to ensure sites you visit have secure data and are properly verified.
What are trusted credentials on Android? (Clear Them?)
Your Android device comes loaded with these server lists of trusted credentials, and many users wonder what they are, and whether they are considered safe.
The answer is that yes, they are. These trusted credentials contains all of the certificate authority companies that are used to verify the safety of web servers that you visit.
This is often a Mail server, or visiting a website with an extra layer of security (https over http, the S means it’s a secure connection using an additional security certificate).
Your connection to the server needs to be encrypted for additional security, which is where these digital certificates come in – they can help to determine that you connection the server is genuine by verifying it against the domain owner details.
What is a certificate authority?
A Certificate Authority is an entity or body that issues specialized secure certificates to verify the identity of websites.
During your visit to an Internet site through SSL or HTTPS, it is essential to verify the user’s identity.
The companies purpose is to issue this certificates – for example, the most common of which is an SSL (secure socket layer) certificate.
This is issued when you visit an e-commerce website to ensure that they are a trusted authority, so that you can visit their website or web server and be sure that they are verified by trusted certificate authorities.
The process that a certificate authority goes through involves ensuring that your computer checks for any valid certificates from an accredited certificate provider for access to a website.
In Android, the list of these companies is generates for your own device’s security, as it can help to ensure a secure connection between you when browsing the web or sending emails.
Should I clear these certificates?
Whilst it is possible for you to remove the certificate from your Android phone, it’s usually not a good idea to do this.
In the vast majority of cases, the Android trusted credentials list is filled with certificates that have been issued by a trusted certificate authority.
This means that there’s no need for you to clear them, or even worry about the certificates that you find listed here.
If there ever are any issues with these trusted credentials, the likelihood is that everyone would know about it, and Android would probably learn about it sooner than you.
So, they would remove the trusted credentials before you get the chance to. This means that there’s no reason for you to worry about this.
What happens if you clear the trusted credentials on Android?
What are the effects of clearing all those credentials? You might think it won’t be an issue on your device, however it definitely can be detrimental to your browsing experience.
The credentials can be used to validate websites or apps that you want to visit. Those who have no valid credentials are typically warned on your device, however you won’t get these warnings if you delete that list of credentials.
If you delete the trusted credentials, you’ll also start to get a lot more warnings on sites that are generally considered safe – as you don’t have the certificate authority in place to verify this, you’ll have to do it manually.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this security certificate shows Android the trustworthiness of the application or its website. Android detects security certificates issued and uses them to verify websites and their trustworthiness.
The security certificate shows the user whether an application or site trusts Android and if you are safe using the platform. So, there’s no need for you to worry about deleting these certificates, and in most cases you shouldn’t, as they’re designed to keep your device secure.
