Google Expands Android Theft Protection With New Security Features

Google on Monday announced the expansion of theft protection features for Android devices. These are aimed at making smartphones harder targets for thieves and helping users safeguard their data before, during and after a theft attempt. As per the Mountain View-based tech giant, the updated Android theft protection tools, which are currently rolling out, build upon the existing protection measures by providing enhanced control over authentication, lockout behaviour, and recovery options.

New Theft Protection Features on Android

The new theft protection features are rolling out to Android devices running Android 16 or later versions, Google said in a security blog post. The Failed Authentication Lock feature, introduced with Android 15, has been expanded and now features a dedicated toggle for enabling/disabling it in settings.

Applications such as third-party banking apps and Google Password Manager, that use Android Biometric Prompt for verification, will benefit from the Identity Check feature. It notably requires users to verify using their biometrics when performing certain actions outside of the trusted spaces.

The tech giant also claims to have made it harder for a thief to guess the PIN, pattern, or password to the Android device by increasing the lockout time after failed attempts. However, to ensure users aren't locked out by mistake, identical incorrect guesses will no longer count toward the retry limit.

In addition to the aforementioned authentication safeguards, Google is also rolling out enhanced recovery tools for devices running Android 10 or later versions. Its latest initiative includes more control over Remote Lock, with a new optional security question or challenge to the process that can be enabled by the device owner as an additional layer of security to the recovery flow.

To make theft protection available out-of-the-box for more Android users, Google is enabling two key theft protection features by default on Android devices activated in Brazil. These include Theft Detection Lock, which uses on-device AI to sense motion and context that indicates a “snatch-and-run” theft. In such cases, the phone will automatically be locked to ensure data protection.

The second feature is Remote Lock. Android users can lock their smartphone from any device with web access, without the need to have enabled the feature in advance.