Google Has Updated Android’s Anti-Theft Features.
Phones are high-value targets. If someone manages to steal your device, especially if they know how to hack it, they’ll have access to a huge amount of your sensitive data. Therefore, good security features can be the difference between losing that data and fully protecting it—even if your phone is long gone. Google has built a number of anti-theft features into Android, called Anti-Theft Features. While the company isn’t announcing a whole bunch of new features today, it did announce new updates to Android’s existing Anti-Theft features on its security blog on Tuesday . Here’s what’s new:
Google Updates Anti-Theft Features for Android
First, the company announced updates to its authentication protections, which apply to all Android devices running Android 16 or later. Specifically, a new toggle has been added to the settings for locking the screen on failed authentication, which automatically locks the screen after too many attempts to guess your password. You can now choose whether to keep this feature enabled directly in the settings.
Google is also increasing the phone’s lockout time after too many failed password attempts, reducing the chance of hacking. I wouldn’t have thought of this, but Google notes that it has implemented protection against children trying to hack the phone by not counting identical password attempts toward the retry limit. And while this isn’t news, Google emphasized that starting in late 2025, all features and apps using Android Biometric Prompt will now work with Identity Check , preventing unauthorized users from changing sensitive settings without successful biometric authentication—that is, a face or fingerprint scan.
The company also announced improvements to features available on devices running Android 10 and above. First, there’s an update to Remote Lock, which lets you lock your phone via a web browser if it’s stolen or lost. You can now set a security question as part of the unlock process. Even if someone knows your login information, they’ll need to know the answer to your security question before they can unlock your device. Tip: giving a nonsensical answer will further enhance your security (e.g., “What’s your mother’s maiden name? h7r_t*2#”). Just be sure to save this answer in a safe place, such as a password manager.
Users in Brazil also have access to two new security settings, enabled by default. The first is theft detection lock, which can detect when your device has been snatched in a situation suggesting theft. The second is remote lock, so users in Brazil can enjoy the above benefits without any setup required—except, of course, for an additional security question.
These updates may not be revolutionary, but they should slightly improve the security of your Android device and prevent your kids from locking you out of your phone all day.