Back in May, we learned Google was planning some interesting security features for devices running Android 10 and newer. These options were specifically designed for stopping thieves from accessing your smartphone’s data should it be stolen, which is quite useful—even if they might not necessarily prevent that theft in the first place. Six months later, it looks like those features are rolling out globally.
Tech reporter Mishaal Rahman first shared this news in a post on r/Android. Rahman said they saw two of the features, Theft Detection Lock and Offline Detection Lock, appear on their Xiaomi 14T Pro on Friday. Other users commented saying they also had the third feature, Remote Lock. While at the time it looked like the rollout was isolated to the US, it now appears as if these features are releasing globally.
If you have an Android device, be on the lookout for these three new anti-theft features:
Theft Detection Lock
As advertised, Google’s Theft Detection Lock is honestly pretty cool: The feature uses AI to detect if someone grabs your phone out of your hands and tries to away by running, biking, or driving. The AI is trained on “common motion associated with theft,” and if it detects this, Android will lock up your phone.
Unless the thief knows your smartphone’s PIN, that effectively means they’re out of luck getting into your device. In effect, they’ll have just stolen a very expensive paperweight.
Remote Lock
Let’s say Theft Detection Lock didn’t kick in, and your phone is vulnerable to whoever stole it. No problem: You can lock your phone remotely using Find My Device—provided you know your Google Account password. If you’re pulling a blank, and can’t remember it, there’s now a backup option: Using Remote Lock, you can verify yourself by using your phone number and completing a “quick security challenge” on any device. That way, you can remotely lock up your phone, even if you’ve forgotten your credentials in your panic.
Offline Device Lock
Remote Lock is a great option, but it does require your phone to be connected to network access in order to function. If the thief purposely disconnects your device, however, you won’t be able to communicate with it, and Remote Lock won’t work.
Google’s new Offline Device Lock feature aims to fix that vulnerability. If Android detects that your phone has been disconnected for a “prolonged period of time,” it will automatically lock itself. One minute, your thief thinks they have all the time in the world to steal your data. The next, they’re screwed.
Obviously, none of these options are going to stop a theft from occurring. But these three features will help preserve your data: By locking up your phone, you block a thief from accessing your photos, banking info, contacts, and anything else you happen to store on your device. Getting the phone itself back may be a challenge, but at least your information will be secure.
