Samsung Issues Advisory to Galaxy Users, Asks Them to Activate Latest Anti-Theft Features

Samsung issued an advisory on Saturday to compatible Galaxy device users, encouraging them to activate the latest anti-theft features. The South Korean tech giant highlighted the rising cases of mobile theft and emphasised that the existing security features and the new ones added via the One UI 7 update will enable users to better protect their data and their device. The company recently started an awareness drive in the UK in partnership with the UK Home Office.

Samsung Brings New Anti-Robbery Features via One UI 7

In a newsroom post, Samsung highlighted that it is expanding the list of devices that are getting the updated anti-theft features and the new anti-robbery features with the One UI 7 update. These features were first released to the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, and are now available for the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy S22 series, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Z Flip 6, Z Fold 5, and the Z Flip 5. The company said more devices will be equipped with these features by the end of 2025.

The OS update introduced Theft Protection, Samsung's new suite of security features. The suite will comprise existing features such as Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock, and Remote Lock, as well as new anti-robbery features such as Identity Check and Security Delay.

Notably, the South Korean tech giant highlights that the Theft Protection suite is built on the Android-powered safeguards, which are effective in scenarios where the thief does not know the device's PIN. Additionally, One UI 7 also adds new features for more critical scenarios where the credentials might have been exposed to the robber.

Samsung's anti-robbery features are aimed at the latter. Identity Check locks sensitive security settings behind a biometric authentication when the device is in an unfamiliar location. With this, even if the PIN is exposed, the user can ensure the data is not compromised. Another such feature is Security Delay, which triggers a one-hour waiting period if someone attempts to reset the biometric data of a device. In case a device is stolen, this buffer allows users to remotely lock the phone from a connected device (such as a PC or a tablet), before the bad actor can access the settings.