Theft Detection Lock: Google announces new feature to protect phones from theft using AI
Kyiv • UNN
Google has announced Theft Detection Lock, an AI-based feature for Android that locks the phone when it detects theft-related movements and makes stolen devices unusable.
At its annual conference for developers I/O 2024, Google announced a new feature for Android - Theft Detection Lock. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the phone is expected to lock as soon as it falls into the hands of a thief. This was reported by UNN with reference to the company's blog.
Details
Theft Detection Lock is designed to protect user data. The artificial intelligence-based feature will track the movements of the phone, if the AI detects theft-related movement, your phone screen will lock quickly.
One example of such a trigger is a device that suddenly starts moving rapidly in the opposite direction.
Google is also adding a feature to lock an offline device if it is intentionally disconnected from the network. Things like repeatedly failing to authenticate your phone will activate this feature.
In addition, the company promises that the upcoming update will make it harder for attackers to remotely reset your device to factory settings.
If a thief forces a reset on a stolen device, they won't be able to set it up again without knowing your device credentials or Google account
It is expected to make the phone unsaleable, which will reduce the incentive to steal it.
Addendum
The service will be available via a Google Play service update later this year for users of Android 10+ devices, but some features will be exclusive to Android 15.
Recall
Google is planning to integrate Gemini AI into its Gmail service, which will provide users with a number of new features. In particular, the artificial intelligence will be able to sort emails, organize attachments in Google Drive, and summarize missed meetings in Google Meet.
