Google Pixel introduces new features for Android, and Google can now lock your stolen phone.

Google Pixel Unveils Fresh Android Updates with Enhanced Security for Stolen Phones

Written by: Supriya Kadu

Edited by: Omkar Devadkar

Last Updated: October 09, 2024

Summary: There are many uses of the new theft detection lock that is coming to all devices running Android 10 or later versions.

Google has significantly increased the theft resistance of your Android smartphone. Not in the physical sense, but if it is stolen, the new "theft detection lock" guarantees that the personal information is secure and the thief cannot use it.

The newly released Xiaomi 14T Pro includes this new feature, now being given out to Android smartphone users in the United States. Mishaal Rahman first broke the news on Threads. Google is introducing three key components of theft-related features: theft detection lock, offline device lock, and remote lock.

A machine learning model is used in the new theft detection lock feature to identify instances in which a phone is taken from a user's hand and the perpetrator attempts to flee on foot or in a car. When the Android smartphone detects a theft, it immediately locks itself in theft detection lock mode, preventing the burglar from accessing any private data stored on the device.

On the other hand, Google now offers a feature set that is equivalent to all other Android smartphones. Pixel's Tips App discusses fresh additions to quarterly feature drops.

A notification was sent over the weekend, “Your device has great new features,” which opens the Google Play services in fullscreen mode. It seems that Google started sending this widely to non-Pixel smartphones, like the Samsung Galaxy, toward the end of September.

This carousel highlights eight Android features, including available information and a brief "How to Get Started" instruction. A "learn more" link on each one takes you to support.google.com. Most of these features are only a few months old.