We keep a lot of sensitive information on our phones—from conversations with loved ones, to apps that show our full bank account histories—so there’s understandably going to be a lot of concern if you have your phone stolen.
Of course these devices have long had protections to stop suspicious snooping (including lock screen authentication) but new theft detection barriers have now been added to Android.
As the name suggests, these theft detection features are designed to automatically figure out that your phone has been swiped, and then do something about it. Most are available now on Android 10 or later, though you’ll need Android 15 or later to access them all.
Triple-lock phone protection
There are three types of lock under the theft protection umbrella on Android, all built into phones running Android 10 or later. The first is Theft Detection Lock, which Google says uses AI to sense when your phone has been taken, and then automatically locks your phone—so it can’t be accessed without a face, fingerprint, PIN, or pattern (whatever you’ve chosen to secure your lock screen).
How does it detect when your phone is stolen? Google doesn’t give specifics, but mentions “common motion associated with theft”, and then thieves who will typically try to “run, bike or drive away”. It sounds as though the AI is watching out for a sudden commotion and then your phone moving at high speed. Of course if the algorithm makes a mistake, you can simply unlock your phone again.
Second we have Offline Device Lock. This is another automatic locking protocol, and this one kicks in when your handset has been offline for an extended period of time: Often, thieves will try and disconnect a phone from the grid to stop you remotely wiping or locking it, and this protects against that. Google says it might also activate if too many unsuccessful authentication…
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