Google Rolls Out Expanded Theft Protection Features for Android Devices
Google announced a significant update to its Android arsenal of protection against theft, introducing new tools and settings aimed at returning stolen items smart phones more difficult for criminals to access and exploit. The updates, detailed on Google’s official security blog, build on Android’s existing protections and add both stronger defenses and more flexible user controls.
Smartphones carry your most sensitive data, from banking apps to personal photos, and losing your device to theft can quickly escalate into identity and financial fraud. To counter this threat, Google is increasing its several protection functions which operate before, during and after a flight.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased technical content and lab reviews. Add CNET as your preferred Google source.
At the center of the update is a revamped version Failed authentication lock. Previously introduced in Android 15this feature now has its own option Android 16 settings, allowing you to decide whether your phone should automatically lock after repeated incorrect PIN or biometric attempts. This gives you more control over how your phone defends against brute force guesses without weakening security.
Google is also strengthening biometric security across the platform. A feature called Identity checkinitially rolled out in earlier versions of Android, has been expanded to apply to all apps and services that use Android’s biometric prompt – the pop-up that asks for your fingerprint or face to confirm it’s you – including third-party banking apps and password managers. This means that even if a thief bypasses your lock screen, they will face an additional biometric barrier before accessing sensitive applications.
On the recovery side, Google has improved Remote locka tool that lets you lock a lost or stolen device from a web browser by entering a verified phone number. The company added an optional security challenge to ensure that only the rightful owner can initiate a remote lock, an important protection against misuse.
And finally, in a notable regional rollout, Google said it now allows both Theft detection lock And Remote lock by default on new Android device activations in Brazil, a market with relatively high phone theft rates. Theft detection lock uses the device AI to detect sudden movements consistent with snatching, automatically locking the screen to block immediate access to data.
Since stolen phones are often used to access bank accounts and personal data, Google says these updates aim to prevent a single theft from turning into a much bigger problem.
