Android Now Able To Tell If Your Phone Has Been Snatched

Google is taking steps to improve theft protection on Android phones, as the tech giant is rolling out a new security feature that can detect when your device has been stolen.

This theft detection feature, included in the second Android 15 beta, is designed to automatically lock your phone’s screen if it senses someone snatching it from your hand.

Theft Detection Lock recognizes unusual movements that might indicate a theft, like a sudden jerk or being pulled off suddenly while in a stationary state. This triggers the phone’s screen to lock immediately, preventing thieves from accessing your information. The system also looks for other red flags, such as attempts to disconnect the phone from the network, and will lock the screen accordingly.

Moreover, Google is also introducing a new way to remotely lock your phone if it does fall into the wrong hands as you will be able to initiate a security challenge to lock the lost device. This is especially helpful if you only have access to another phone at the moment.

These features, arriving later this year via a Google Play services update, will be available for phones running Android 10 or later, making them accessible to a wider range of users than just the latest devices.

Android 15 boasts other security improvements. “Private spaces” allow you to create a hidden area on your phone secured by a separate PIN, ideal for storing sensitive apps and information. Additionally, a new reset protection feature requires the owner’s credentials during phone setup after a forced reset, offering an extra layer of security.

Play Protect, Google’s built-in security system, will also receive an upgrade. This update expands Play Protect’s on-device AI capabilities with “live threat detection.” This feature analyzes how apps use sensitive permissions on your phone, utilizing the Private Compute Core without collecting user data. By monitoring for suspicious activity like phishing and fraud, Play Protect can identify potentially malicious apps and send them to Google for further evaluation. Live threat detection will be available later this year on phones on select Android phone brands and will roll out to others this year.

According to Google’s blog post, Theft Detection Lock and Offline Device Lock will be available to Android 10+ devices through a Google Play services update later this year. This wider rollout ensures that these features reach a significant portion of the Android user base, regardless of whether they’re on the newest OS version.

The blog post also mentions that future updates may include additional anti-theft features, such as the ability to find your phone even if it’s powered off or the battery is dead. This functionality, currently available only on Pixel phones with specific hardware, could potentially be expanded to other devices in the future. (GFB)