2026-02-02 12:45:36

Google has begun rolling out Theft Detection Lock globally as part of Android 16.

First previewed at Google I/O 2024 and trialled in high-risk markets such as Brazil, the new tools are designed to ensure that a stolen phone doesn’t automatically become a gateway to identity theft.

Rather than relying on a single line of defence, Android’s latest update introduces protections that activate before, during and after a device is taken.

At the center of the rollout is Theft Detection Lock, which uses on-device machine learning to identify movements consistent with a snatch-and-run theft.

By analysing sensor data such as sudden acceleration, location changes and connectivity signals, the system can automatically lock a phone the moment it believes the device has been stolen.

Google has said the model has been tuned to minimise false positives while still responding quickly enough to block immediate access to personal data.

Android 16 also expands Failed Authentication Lock, giving users more control over whether their phone automatically locks after repeated failed PIN or biometric attempts.

In parallel, Identity Check introduces location-aware biometric verification for sensitive actions such as changing security settings, accessing password managers or disabling Find My Device when the phone is outside trusted locations.

On the recovery side, Remote Lock has been strengthened with an optional security challenge, preventing malicious actors from locking a device using only a phone number.

Offline Device Lock adds another safeguard, triggering if a thief disconnects the phone from the internet for an extended period in an attempt to evade tracking.

Crucially, Google is delivering many of these features through Google Play services rather than full operating system updates.

That means Theft Detection Lock is now available to most phones running Android 10 or later, significantly reducing the impact of Android’s long-standing fragmentation problem.

The company has also tightened factory reset protections, making it harder to wipe and resell stolen devices without the original account credentials.

By attacking both the technical vulnerabilities and the resale economics of phone theft, Google hopes to make stealing Android devices far less attractive.

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