Android Gets Better Theft Detection Lock

Google is adding multiple features on Android to make it secure. One of the security features is theft detection. 

Billions of Android devices are getting new tools to stop thieves from accessing the data available on your device. Google announced these features at its developer event, Google I/O 2024. 

Google announced three-step theft protection features that could keep your device and data safe. 

First off, Google is upgrading the Android Factory Reset protection so that thieves cannot wipe the data so easily from the device without a device or Google account credentials. Now, Find My Device also requires a biometric or PIN to turn it off. 

The device now also requires biometrics for accessing or changing critical Google account and device settings, like changing your PIN, disabling theft protection, or accessing Passkeys, from an untrusted location. 

The new feature in theft protection will detect when your phone is stolen or being taken out of your hands. Android will not use sensors and on-device models to lock the devices when somebody “tries to run, bike or drive away.”

There is an offline device lock, it will kick in when someone turns off the internet on the device. This feature is to protect the data on your phone. The above two features will be rolling out to Android 10+ via a Google Play service update later this year. 

And lastly, Google is introducing a Remote Lock feature for when your device is stolen. 

“Many users are shocked and stressed after a phone goes missing and can’t recall their Google account password to access Find My Device.”

With this, users will be able to lock their phone screen with just their “phone number and a quick security challenge.”

This will give you enough time to recover your account details and access additional helpful options in Find My Device. With this, you can send a command to fully factory reset the data on the device. 

This update will also be rolling out to a wider Android audience through a Google Play Services update later this year. 

Google explains that these features are designed to add more protection before a phone is stolen, during the theft, and after a phone has been taken. 

The AI push of the tech industry is shown here in Android security updates as some of the features are built using AI as a key component. 

Apart from these awesome features, Android is coming with other security and privacy updates to make the device more secure and keep the data safe.