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Android Update: Theft Detection Lock Knows When Your Phone Is Stolen


Google is introducing new AI-powered safety tools in Android 15 that can lock down your phone if thieves nab it.

To train the algorithm, Google’s research staff studied how phones are commonly stolen, then its teams re-created snatching events against each other to collect data about what a simulated theft looks like. There are also extra authentication controls being put in place: If a thief tries to disable Google's Find My Device location-tracking service they will need to also use your PIN, password, or biometric information to unlock it. The extra authentication features are similar to those introduced by Apple in its Stolen Device Protection system that debuted in iOS 17.3 earlier this year, although Google’s theft motion detection goes further than these tools.

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