After skirting tradition and dedicating its entire Google I/O keynote to showing how it's incorporating ai into everything imaginable, the company has reserved the second day to catch up with the one-time star of the show, Android. In addition to the arrival of the second beta version of Android 15 on Wednesday, Google is revelation Previously unannounced security features in its 2024 mobile software, including ai-powered theft detection, Google Play fraud protection, and more.
Theft Detection Lock is a new Android 15 feature that will use ai (there it is again) to predict phone thefts and lock things accordingly. Google says its algorithms can detect movements associated with theft, such as those associated with grabbing the phone and running, biking or driving. If an Android 15 phone detects one of these situations, the phone's screen will quickly lock, making it much more difficult for the thief to access your data.
An alternative remote locking feature allows you to quickly lock your phone if someone manages to take it without activating the theft detection lock. With Remote Lock, you can (you guessed it) lock remotely phone screen from any device with just your phone number and completing a “quick security challenge.” This is designed to prevent situations where someone's phone is taken away (or lost) but they don't know their Google Account password to access Find My Device.
Similarly, Offline Device Lock automatically locks your phone's screen (requiring authentication to unlock) when you're off the network. This is designed to counter thieves who quickly disconnect a stolen device before the owner can remotely lock or wipe it.
Meanwhile, an upgrade to factory reset protection will require your credentials to use the phone after wiping data, reducing the incentive for it to be stolen in the first place. Additionally, disabling Find My Device or lengthening the phone's screen timeout will require security authentication, negating another common tactic phone thieves use to reset the device before being locked.
Similar to a feature Apple launched earlier this year, Android 15 will also require additional authentication when trying to change account security settings (change PIN, disable theft protection, or access passcodes) from a untrusted location.
Catch up on all the news from Google I/O 2024 here!
