New tools aim at phone snatchers, snooping kids or partners, and cell hijackers.
See full article...
See full article...
Android 15’s security and privacy features are the update’s highlight
- Thread starter JournalBot
- Start date
It's nice that many of these security improvements are actually Google Play Services updates and not just confined to Android 15, since some of us have perfectly functional phones that just happen to no longer be getting new Android versions (Galaxy S10, in my case).
Upvote
130
(130
/
0)
Nice set of enhancements. Better late than never on some of these. One thing Google is doing which I'd like to see Apple implement is warnings about Stingray usage, or any other form of GSM encryption downgrade. Equipment for that is available in an "off the shelf" capacity, and I don't have faith in the pre-sales verification of purchasers nor for legitimate users to not chuck one in the e-waste pile where it can get bought by anyone.
iOS, with its much tighter control over the hardware, should be able to do this. (Even if it's only available in Lockdown mode.)
iOS, with its much tighter control over the hardware, should be able to do this. (Even if it's only available in Lockdown mode.)
Upvote
67
(69
/
-2)
Glad to see useful updates this time and not just gimmicks I'm going to (try to) disable immediately.
Upvote
54
(55
/
-1)
Is there any small device (that you keep in your pocket) such that the phone will automatically lock itself if the phone isn’t within a few feet of it? Do Apple make anything like that? If such things existed they might help to reduce the number of “grab and run” attacks.
Upvote
12
(15
/
-3)
Wait. How was this not already the case as soon as screen sharing was implemented?
Upvote
14
(20
/
-6)
Nothing specifically for that. An Apple Watch can use find my to activate lost mode as long as it has a data connection. You might be able to setup an automation with an Air Tag to do something like that. A lock when leaving proximity of my Apple Watch feature does seem like something Apple could implement. Maybe tying it in with the anti-theft stuff so it doesn't kick in at home when you are likely to leave your watch on a charger or even just turning off when charging.
Upvote
11
(13
/
-2)
This is not restricted to phones you own, put in any number you like and it will try and lock it. Have fun everyone...
http://android.com/lock
Upvote
-15
(9
/
-24)
it's been nice solid beta and final update on my Pixel 8. Glad they didn't rock the boat too much this update. Maybe 16 can turn things upside down, for now I get stability which I'm thankful for
Upvote
9
(9
/
0)
I hope theft detection lock will keep the phone recording in the case of a cop yanking a bystander's phone out of their hands to stop them recording police brutality.
Upvote
77
(80
/
-3)
Just checked on my phone and the theft detection and remote lock are available. Fold 5. That is nice - but I wonder how well they work.
Upvote
9
(9
/
0)
Just tested remote lock - it was quick about 2 seconds. But I can see this feature being miss used since there is no authentication. At least its not a custom lock and regular unlock worked fine.
Upvote
26
(26
/
0)
As this is the same lock that would happen after a timeout or when you hit the power button I don't think that's a major issue. If someone does this to your phone you just unlock it like normal with your pin/passcode/biometrics etc. This needs to be quick and easy to do when your phone is actually stolen so a full Gmail account login wouldn't really work especially for account with Advanced Protection Program enabled where you would need a security key to log in. That's probably also why it's tied to phone number and not an email address or login. Quick and easy to give someone else to fill in and lock your phone.
Upvote
43
(43
/
0)
In Android, a "Trusted Device" designated by the owner (such as a smartwatch or paired headphones) can unlock a phone by being within Bluetooth range. Ostensibly this means that a phone taken away from its Trusted Device will automatically lock, but all of the documentation I can find is vague on how quickly that will happen. That's probably because Bluetooth range is so variable that there's no way to make any kind of definitive assertion.
tl;dr -- Such a thing does exist, but it's probably not as reliable as the security features described in the article.
Upvote
38
(39
/
-1)
I agree with everything you said. One worry I have would be a denial of service type attack where someone just keeps locking out the device every 5 seconds or something so that you can't use your device.
That's solvable by putting a timeout on it. If someone unlocks the phone you just locked it's unlikely they can't do it again, so it kinda loses it's effectiveness in a near term situation. That said, for a targeted attack the "thief" would just lock your phone, let you unlock it and then grab and go, so I don't know what a good answer is. Maybe we assume that level of targeting is sufficiently rare in the scope of that harassing lockouts.
Upvote
26
(26
/
0)
Unlocked here just means you don't need to auth (pin, fingerprint, whatever) to access the phone. If you lose connection to the trusted device, I don't believe it drops you to the lockscreen. So if it's snagged while you're using it, it'll stay unlocked.
Upvote
0
(3
/
-3)
Under the setting, it says that remote lock is usable up to twice a day, so Google already thought of that.
Upvote
55
(55
/
0)
Been using this for a while and it's a solid update. Lots of nice new security features and my Pixel 7 performs great. I'd rather they wait to iron out all the bugs like they did with this one. Last year update was a mess.
Upvote
3
(3
/
0)
Remote lock didn't work for me just now (waited five minutes) but I am still on the last Android 15 beta (AP31) so maybe I need to be on the final release version. Still waiting for the final version to be offered via OTA...
Edit: I double-checked, and the remote lock setting was turned off. I turned it on (which consisted of allowing a new permission) and then tried again, and it still didn't work. I guess I'll test again once I receive Android 15 final.
Edit: I double-checked, and the remote lock setting was turned off. I turned it on (which consisted of allowing a new permission) and then tried again, and it still didn't work. I guess I'll test again once I receive Android 15 final.
Last edited:
Upvote
3
(3
/
0)
Jut checked my Pixel 6 and it says I have no new updates even though I checked the update screen, so hopefully I get it soon. My pixel 6 is still going strong on the battery so hopefully it'll last another 2+ years and by then this AI craze will either die or just settle to sanity. That said, more security features are always welcome, especially as the world keeps getting more technology dependent.
Upvote
2
(3
/
-1)
Any clear walk through for how offline lock works? It says “when a thief has your phone offline for a while” but how does it know I’m not just in airplane mode (and/or beyond cell service) while backcountry camping?
Upvote
7
(7
/
0)
The Assassin
Smack-Fu Master, in training
I was amused that the Google podcast icon was one of the app icons on the image provided; way to go Android 15, a failed app.
Upvote
-9
(2
/
-11)
To me "privacy" in the context of smartphones means online privacy -- not theft, or friends snooping when I hand them my phone. Privacy from Google and co is what I need/want first and foremost, not from my own friends.
Upvote
-6
(8
/
-14)
One would hope the cop is not going to "rapidly moving away with it" which is one thing required for it to auto lock. But you never know, there might be some crazy clepto cops out there.
Upvote
10
(10
/
0)
Edubfromktown
Ars Praetorian
Private Space is a welcome addition that hopefully does all that Samsung Knox Secure Folder has been doing for quite a while now.
Upvote
10
(10
/
0)
I like them all, although private spaces is essentially multiple profiles. Still much better than the iOS hide my app implementation.
The "Lock when yoinked" feature will also be very useful in places like London and urban European capitals, where bike gangs roam the streets for phone users.
The "Lock when yoinked" feature will also be very useful in places like London and urban European capitals, where bike gangs roam the streets for phone users.
Upvote
0
(6
/
-6)
They STILL haven't rolled out dual sim RCS support worldwide, India only. Thought for sure it'd be in 15 finally.
Upvote
12
(12
/
0)
Remember. This is just automatically doing the normal lock that you do dozens or hundreds of times a day anyway. If it does lock for this reason just unlock it like normal with your pin/password/biometrics. I assume this is thrown in there to make sure a thief can't keep the phone unlocked by keeping it offline to prevent the remote lock from working.
Upvote
12
(12
/
0)
Most people who grab and run with your phone don't know who you are, let alone what your phone number is. At worst, this is a minor nuisance, The lock requests only need to be rate limited.
The point of the feature is to quickly lock your phone before the thief gets a chance to reset logins using your email. The proper way to lock down after a theft is to asap lock your SIM with the mobile operator. This is one more reason why I now use an esim -- it removes the possibility of the thief taking the sim out and installing it into another phone.
Upvote
15
(15
/
0)
If it exists in India before Android 15, then presumably it doesn't require Android 15.
Upvote
5
(5
/
0)
Upvote
1
(1
/
0)
One noteworthy feature that is back with 15 is the ability to control remote speaker volume using the phone's volume buttons without unlocking and opening Spotify.
This has been disabled for legal reasons for quite a while now but Google finally won against Sonos.
This has been disabled for legal reasons for quite a while now but Google finally won against Sonos.
Upvote
20
(20
/
0)
There is a note under the Remote Lock activation slider:
"The screen can be locked remotely up to twice a day" maybe some small comfort?
Upvote
13
(13
/
0)
Exactly. Was hoping they'd use 15's release as an excuse to roll it out to everyone. Especially since they've been pushing for RCS to be used everywhere.
Upvote
6
(6
/
0)
Theft detection sounds promising. I just had a phone stolen when I was hours from home and had no way to login to my account to lock the phone. This might have helped. Luckily, nothing bad has happened except losing the phone, so it may have been locked already.
Upvote
1
(1
/
0)