Google unveils AI‑powered theft protection for smartphones
Google is countering smartphone thieves by introducing new security features. The company announced Theft Detection Lock, an artificial intelligence system to protect devices.
Losing a phone today means losing the device and critical personal data—from banking apps to emails and home management systems. It can be distressing for users when a thief unexpectedly grabs the phone on the street.
Electric bike or motorcycle thefts have become common in several Western European cities. Google decided to act by introducing new protective features in the Android system, which were unveiled at the Google I/O 2024 conference.
The Detection Lock - a theft prevention solution for Google
One of the options is a lock that activates when the system detects a theft. Thanks to artificial intelligence, phones recognize sudden movements characteristic of theft, such as snatching from the hand and quickly moving away. In such a situation, the smartphone will immediately lock, preventing the thief from accessing the data.
What other features are worth using?
Google is not stopping with this solution alone. To make it harder to sell stolen phones, the company has introduced additional security measures, such as Offline Device Lock and Factory Reset Protection.
The Offline Device Lock feature will lock the phone when disconnected from the network and after failed authorization attempts. Meanwhile, Factory Reset Protection prevents a thief from resetting the device to factory settings without Google account data. Theft Detection Lock and Offline Device Lock will be available for Android 10 and newer devices, while the enhanced reset protection feature will be available only for Android 15.
