https://blog.google/products/android/android-theft-protection/ Skip to main content The Keyword Android's theft protection features keep your device and data safe Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Mail Copy link [https://blog.google/] * Latest stories * Product updates Product updates + Android, Chrome & Play o Android o Chrome o Chromebooks o Google Play o Wear OS by Google + Devices & Services o Chromecast o Fitbit o Google Nest o Pixel + Explore & Get Answers o Gemini o Google Assistant o Maps o News o Search o Shopping + Connect & Communicate o Photos o Translate o Registry + In The Cloud o Docs, Sheets and Slides o Gmail o Google Cloud o Meet o More on the Cloud Blog See all product updates + Android, Chrome & Play o Android o Chrome o Chromebooks o Google Play o Wear OS by Google + Devices & Services o Chromecast o Fitbit o Google Nest o Pixel + Explore & Get Answers o Gemini o Google Assistant o Maps o News o Search o Shopping + Connect & Communicate o Photos o Translate o Registry + In The Cloud o Docs, Sheets and Slides o Gmail o Google Cloud o Meet o More on the Cloud Blog See all product updates * Company news Company news + Outreach & initiatives o Diversity and inclusion o Education o Google.org o Grow with Google o Sustainability o See all + Technology o AI o Developers o Families o Next billion users o Safety and security o See all + Inside Google o Data centers and infrastructure o Doodles o Googlers o Life at Google o See all + Around the globe o Google in Asia o Google in Europe o Google in Latin America o See all + Authors o Sundar Pichai, CEO o Ruth Porat, SVP and CFO o Kent Walker, SVP o See all + Outreach & initiatives o Diversity and inclusion o Education o Google.org o Grow with Google o Sustainability See all + Technology o AI o Developers o Families o Next billion users o Safety and security See all + Inside Google o Data centers and infrastructure o Doodles o Googlers o Life at Google See all + Around the globe o Google in Asia o Google in Europe o Google in Latin America See all + Authors o Sundar Pichai, CEO o Ruth Porat, SVP and CFO o Kent Walker, SVP See all Subscribe Subscribe The Keyword * Latest stories * Product updates Product updates + Android, Chrome & Play o Android o Chrome o Chromebooks o Google Play o Wear OS by Google + Devices & Services o Chromecast o Fitbit o Google Nest o Pixel + Explore & Get Answers o Gemini o Google Assistant o Maps o News o Search o Shopping + Connect & Communicate o Photos o Translate o Registry + In The Cloud o Docs, Sheets and Slides o Gmail o Google Cloud o Meet o More on the Cloud Blog See all product updates * Company news Company news + Outreach & initiatives o Diversity and inclusion o Education o Google.org o Grow with Google o Sustainability o See all + Technology o AI o Developers o Families o Next billion users o Safety and security o See all + Inside Google o Data centers and infrastructure o Doodles o Googlers o Life at Google o See all + Around the globe o Google in Asia o Google in Europe o Google in Latin America o See all + Authors o Sundar Pichai, CEO o Ruth Porat, SVP and CFO o Kent Walker, SVP o See all * * Press corner * RSS feed Subscribe Android Android's theft protection features keep your device and data safe May 15, 2024 [[read-time]] min read Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Mail Copy link [https://blog.google/] 3 ways Android's new features can help protect your data before, during and after a theft. Suzanne Frey Vice President, Product, Trust & Growth Read AI-generated summary General summary Android's new theft protection features help keep your device and data safe. Improved device and data protection deter theft before it happens, like a factory reset upgrade that prevents thieves from resetting your device without your credentials. Automatic protection features like Theft Detection Lock and Offline Device Lock kick in when your phone is stolen, locking the screen and protecting your data. If your phone is already gone, Remote Lock lets you lock the screen with just your phone number and a security challenge, giving you time to recover your account details and access Find My Device options. Summaries were generated by Google AI. Generative AI is experimental. Bullet points * Android's new theft protection features keep your device and data safe. * Factory reset upgrade prevents thieves from resetting your stolen device. * Private space hides sensitive apps behind a separate PIN-locked area. * Automatic AI-powered screen lock if your phone is snatched. * Remote Lock lets you lock your phone with just your phone number. Summaries were generated by Google AI. Generative AI is experimental. Explore other styles: * General summary * Bullet points Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Mail Copy link [https://blog.google/] Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos, but don't worry, you can download it and watch it with your favorite video player! Smartphones help us with everyday tasks like online banking, storing sensitive information, taking photos of our friends and families and quickly paying for stuff. While our phones make our lives easier, they also contain a lot of valuable information which makes these devices a target for people who might want to get their hands on our data. To help keep your device and your data safe before, during and after a theft attempt, we're introducing a new suite of advanced theft protection features. These features will be rolling out through Google Play services updates later this year to the billions of devices running Android 10+, with some features available in Android 15. 1. Improved device and data protection to deter theft before it happens We're working to strengthen your device's security against theft with new and improved protection features that will make thieves think twice about trying. Factory reset upgrade prevents a reset by a thief. For some criminals, the goal is to quickly reset your stolen device and resell it. We're making it more difficult to do that with an upgrade to Android's factory reset protection. With this upgrade, if a thief forces a reset of the stolen device, they're not able to set it up again without knowing your device or Google account credentials. This renders a stolen device unsellable, reducing incentives for phone theft. Private space hides your sensitive apps. Some thieves just want the device, but many aim to extract valuable data and transfer funds from your phone that can be worth much more than your hardware. Private space is a new feature that lets you create a separate area in your phone that you can hide and lock with a separate PIN, giving you additional security for apps that might contain sensitive data, like health or financial information. More steps for changing sensitive device settings to protect your data. Disabling Find My Device or extending screen timeout now requires your PIN, password or biometric authentication, adding an extra layer of security preventing criminals who got a hold of your device from keeping it unlocked or untrackable online. Increased authentication to protect you in case your PIN is known by a thief. When enabled, our new enhanced authentication will require biometrics for accessing and changing critical Google account and device settings, like changing your PIN, disabling theft protection or accessing Passkeys, from an untrusted location. Factory reset protection updates and private space will be released as part of Android 15. Enhanced authentication protections will be released to select devices later this year. Video format not supported Android will protect access to sensitive settings by requiring users to enter their PIN or biometrics. 2. Automatic protection the moment your phone is stolen Having a device stolen is unexpected and stressful and it can be hard to react quickly at the moment it happens. That's why we created features that can automatically recognize suspicious signals and proactively protect your data on the device. Automatic AI-powered screen lock for when your phone is snatched. Theft Detection Lock is a powerful new feature that uses Google AI to sense if someone snatches your phone from your hand and tries to run, bike or drive away. If a common motion associated with theft is detected, your phone screen quickly locks - which helps keep thieves from easily accessing your data. Added protection when a thief has your device. If a thief tries to disconnect your phone for prolonged periods of time, Offline Device Lock automatically locks your screen to help protect your data even when your device is off the grid. Android can also recognize other signs that your device may be in the wrong hands. For example, it will lock your device screen when excessive failed authentication attempts are made. Theft Detection Lock and Offline Device Lock will be available to Android 10+ devices through a Google Play services update later this year. Video format not supported Android uses AI to lock the device if the phone detects motion that could indicate theft. 3. Lock your device and act quickly after your phone is stolen Find My Device already lets you remotely lock or wipe a lost or stolen phone and you can now mark it as lost for easier tracking. But many users are shocked and stressed after a phone goes missing and can't recall their Google account password to access Find My Device. Remote Lock feature throws you a lifeline if your phone is already gone. You'll be able to lock the screen of your phone with just your phone number and a quick security challenge using any device. This buys you time to recover your account details and access additional helpful options in Find My Device, including sending a full factory reset command to completely wipe the device. Remote Lock will be available to Android 10+ devices through a Google Play services update later this year. Find My Device is available on Android 5+ devices. Video format not supported Remote Lock lets you remotely lock your device screen quickly We're committed to keeping your device and data secure on Android. We're constantly developing new protections to help our users around the world. Look out for more security and privacy features and updates from Android. Learn more about how we're also protecting users from financial fraud and scams with new features. Related Article An image showcasing Android 15 logo in the middle surrounded by a smartwatch, a TV interface, a car display interface in a circular web. Related Article 10 updates coming to the Android ecosystem From Theft Detection Lock to casting on Rivian to Wear OS 5 updates, here's what's coming to Android 15 and its device ecosystem. See more Collection A grid with curved lines and rectangles filled with a gradient of rainbow colors. Collection I/O 2024 Here's a look at everything we announced at Google I/O 2024. 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