Is the Play Protect "App blocked to protect your device" warning a virus alert?

No. That warning appears for almost any app installed from outside the Play Store — the message itself says 'Play Protect hasn't seen an app from this developer before,' not that it found anything malicious. It is an unknown-developer notice, not a malware detection. Primo ARM Miner is open source (GPL-3.0) and the download's SHA-256 is published, so you can verify the exact file. Tap More details, then Install anyway to continue.

Does the Primo mining app need root?

No. The app installs and mines on a normal, unrooted phone. Root only helps in one narrow way: it lets the miner claim the fast 'top-app' CPU scheduling group so it keeps full speed with the screen off. Without root you get full speed while the app is on-screen.

Why isn't the mining app on the Google Play Store?

Google Play bans apps that mine cryptocurrency on the device, so no on-device miner can be listed there. That is why it is distributed as a sideloaded APK from primolab.dev, and why the Play Protect warning appears — both are normal for this category of app.

Does the phone keep mining when the screen is off?

The app keeps the screen on and runs as a foreground service, so it mines while it is open. Android throttles background apps, so on an unrooted phone speed drops if you switch away; keep the app in the foreground (plugged in) for full rate. A rooted phone can hold full speed in the background.

GUIDE · ANDROID APK

Install the Android mining app, step by step

The Primo ARM Miner app is a one-tap way to mine Monero, Verus and more on an Android phone — no terminal, no root. Because Google Play bans mining apps, you sideload it, which means one scary-looking Play Protect screen you'll walk straight past. Every shot below is a real capture from a stock Galaxy Note 20 (Android 13).

1 · Get the app

On the phone, open primolab.dev and scroll to Download. Under Android APK (sideload), tap APK. Your browser downloads a ~2 MB file.

It's not on the Play Store — Google bans on-device mining apps — so this is the official way to get it. Want to check the file first? Each download lists its SHA-256, so you can verify the exact APK.

primolab.dev download section in a phone browser, tapping the APK button under Android APK — Tap APK on primolab.dev.

2 · Install it — and the Play Protect warning

Open the downloaded file (from the browser's Open prompt, the notification, or your Downloads folder) and tap Install. If Android asks, allow your browser to install unknown apps.

Then Play Protect will say "App blocked to protect your device." Don't panic — this is not a virus alert. Read it: "Play Protect hasn't seen an app from this developer before." That's an unknown-developer notice, shown for almost any app installed outside the Play Store — not a detection of anything malicious. Primo is open source (GPL-3.0) and the download's SHA-256 is published, so the exact file is verifiable.

Tap More details, then Install anyway. A moment later: App installed. Tap Open.

Google Play Protect dialog: App blocked to protect your device, Play Protect hasn't seen an app from this developer before — The warning — an unknown-developer notice, not malware.

Play Protect expanded with the Install anyway option after tapping More details — More details → Install anyway.

3 · First launch

On first open you'll see "Before you mine." It says plainly what mining does to a phone — full CPU load, heat, faster battery drain — and discloses the dev fee: 2% for Verus, 1% for the other algorithms, mined to the developer's wallet for a short slice of each cycle. Everything else goes to the pool and wallet you set.

Read it, then tap I Understand.

Before you mine disclaimer dialog listing heat, battery wear and the dev fee, with Exit and I Understand buttons — The honest first-run notice.

4 · Configure

Tap the gear icon and fill in:

Algorithm — Verus or Monero are the real CPU coins; scrypt (LTC+DOGE) and Bitcoin are also there.
Threads — defaults sensibly; you can set it to your full core count (8 here).
Pool URL — e.g. stratum+tcp://pool.verus.io:9998.
Wallet / user.worker — paste your own wallet address.

You can add up to three failover pools. Tap Save. (Each per-coin guide has the exact pool and wallet format.)

Configuration screen filled in: Verus algorithm, 8 threads, pool.verus.io:9998, wallet address, Save button — Algorithm, threads, pool, wallet.

5 · Start mining

Tap Start Mining. Android asks to stop optimising battery usage so the miner isn't suspended — tap Allow. Within a minute the dashboard goes live: hashrate, a chip per thread, and Accepted shares climbing.

This Note 20 is doing ~6 MH/s on Verus across 8 threads with 0 rejects. Keep an eye on the thermal load tile — phones get hot at full load; mine plugged in and let it breathe.

Stop optimising battery usage prompt so the miner can run without being restricted — Allow the battery exemption.

Live dashboard mining Verus at 6.02 MH/s with 8 thread chips and 68 accepted shares — Live: 6.02 MH/s, 68 accepted, 8 threads.

6 · Watch the log (optional)

The document icon opens the full miner console on the phone — the same output you'd see on a desktop: accepted shares, new work, and per-thread hashrates. Handy for confirming everything's healthy.

On the same Wi-Fi and want it on another screen? Turn on the read-only monitoring API in Configuration and point a browser at the phone's :4068.

In-app miner log showing accepted shares, new work jobs and per-thread hashrates — The miner console, in-app.

What to expect

It's a hobby, not an income. Mining Verus or Monero, a phone earns small real amounts — cents per day. Bitcoin (SHA256d) earns effectively nothing on a CPU. Full speed happens while the app is on-screen (Android throttles background apps unless the phone is rooted), the device runs warm, and the battery drains — so mine plugged in, cool, and not on a phone you depend on 24/7.

Mine Monero → Mine Verus Phone vs ESP32

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