At Google I/O earlier this year, a trio of safety features were announced to keep Android devices safe in events like theft, locking the device and setting up new guardrails so that the phone won’t accept a fresh set-up in the hands of a bad actor.
Some of these changes were supposed to arrive in the same window as Android 15’s public release, which is right around the corner. But according to Mishaal Rahman and 9to5Google, they’ve already started appearing to users in the US following a test in Brazil.
The first one is Theft Detection Lock. “If a common motion associated with theft is detected, your phone screen quickly locks – which helps keep thieves from easily accessing your data,” says Google. It uses onboard sensors as well as connectivity channels to detect such an event.
Next, we have Offline Device Lock. If a bad actor has stolen your phone and they are trying to keep the phone offline for a prolonged period to avoid any kind of tracking, the screen automatically locks. A similar screen lock protocol will also kick into action when some is trying multiple authentication attempts to unlock the device.
Finally, we have Remote Lock. In the event that a device is stolen, and theft protection is not enabled, users can still lock their device remotely by visiting the Android.com/lock page. Users only need to pass a security check and use the same number that was active on the phone.
Once the remote lock has done its job, the stolen device can only be unlocked with the original screen lock method, which could be the user’s biometrics or password. But do keep in mind that for this feature to work, the phone must be online. In case the stolen device is offline, the remote screen lock will kick into action as soon as it comes online.
Theft Detection Lock, Remote Lock, and Offline Device Lock will be available for all Android devices running Android 15 or a later version. So far, it seems the rollout is being done in a phased manner, with users in the US receiving it at the moment.
Digital Trends has tested multiple multiple devices, including the Google Pixel 9 and OnePlus Open, but hasn’t received the feature update yet.