Google Tipped to Be Improving Theft Protection System With New Features for Android Smartphones

The Theft Detection Lock feature on Android is said to use ML to lock smartphones in case they are snatched by a thief.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 7 October 2024 13:08 IST

Google Tipped to Be Improving Theft Protection System With New Features for Android Smartphones

Photo Credit: X/Mishaal Rahman

The Offline Device Lock feature locks the screen if the device is disconnected from the Internet

Highlights

Google is tipped to be rolling out these features in the US
These Android features were said to enter beta in August
Remote Lock feature allows users to lock the phone with just the number

Google is reportedly rolling out new features to help users better protect their data if their Android device is stolen. As per a new leak, the company has started introducing three new features that enable different ways of locking the device in case of theft. The Theft Detection Lock feature is said to use machine learning (ML) capabilities to detect if the phone is being snatched by a thief. Similarly, the Offline Device Lock feature locks the device if it is disconnected from the Internet for an extended period, claimed the leak.

New Android Theft Protection Features Leaked

In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), tipster Mishaal Rahman claimed that Google has started to ship three new Android features focused on protecting user data. The first feature is said to be Theft Detection Lock. Rahman claimed that the feature uses an ML model which can detect when the smartphone has been snatched from the user's hands by a thief who is either on foot, bike, or car.

Android Theft Protection features
Photo Credit: X/Mishaal Rahman

Based on the description, it appears the feature can be activated if a sudden change in speed or rough movements are detected. Once the feature is activated, it is said to automatically lock the device to protect the data from the criminal's hands.

The second feature is tipped to be Offline Device Lock. The tipster claims that if a thief keeps the device disconnected from the Internet for an extended period of time (likely to avoid being located), the device automatically activates the screen lock. However, the leak did not mention the time period required to activate the feature or if it can be customised by the user.

Finally, the third feature is dubbed Remote Lock. It is said to be an improvement to Android's existing Find My Device feature which lets users remotely lock their device. However, to access Find My Device, users require their Google account email and password. If they do remember the password, then the Remote Lock feature can be quite handy. Rahman claims that this feature can remotely lock a device just using the phone number.

As per the tipster, the first two features were spotted on the Xiaomi 14T Pro whereas the third feature was seen on Pixel devices. These features are tipped to be rolling out to Android users in the US, after entering beta in August.

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Further reading: Google, Android, Smartphones, Android features

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More