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ZDNET's key takeaways
- Android is getting upgraded theft protection features.
- Updates include expanded Identity Check and Remote Lock.
- The features are available now.
Google announced a new set of theft protection feature updates for Android on Tuesday to help mitigate trouble if your phone ever goes missing.
Also: Your Android phone's most powerful security feature is off by default - turn it on ASAP
Because our phones carry so much critical information these days, the cost of replacing a device is truly the least of your problems if your phone falls into the wrong hands. Today's updates not only make it more difficult for a nefarious actor to unlock your phone, but they also bring critical protection to important apps and make it harder for someone else to lock down your phone.
Here's a look at what's new.
Improved unlock protection
One of the biggest new features is stronger protection against screen lock guessing. By increasing the lockout time after failed attempts, Google has made it much more difficult for someone else to guess your phone's PIN, pattern, or password.
Of course, mistakes still happen if you forget your credentials or if your child grabs your phone, so identical incorrect guesses will not count toward your retry limit.
Expanded Identity Check
A year ago, Android introduced Identity Check, a feature that automatically locks your sensitive settings with biometric authentication if you're outside of a trusted area. This tool now covers all features and apps that use an Android Biometric Prompt -- including financial apps and Google Password Manager.
To enable it, search for "Identity Check" in your Android's settings and follow the prompts.
Enhanced Remote Lock
Android also says it's giving you more control over Remote Lock, a tool that lets you lock your lost or stolen device from any web browser. You now have the ability to add a security question/challenge to the process, making sure that only you, the real device owner, can initiate a lock.
You can lock a phone by going to this page and entering your phone number (provided you have remote lock on and your device is online).
More control over failed authentication
Failed Authentication Lock, first seen in Android 15, is a feature that automatically locks your device's screen after excessive
failed authentication attempts. To give you more control over your own security, this feature now has a dedicated enable/disable toggle in the settings menu.
These updates are now available for Android devices running Android 16+.
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