Summary
- Google is expanding Android’s anti-theft features with Identity Check, requiring biometric authentication (fingerprint/face) to access sensitive settings when outside trusted locations.
- The update also includes the global rollout of Theft Detection Lock for Android 10+ devices, which automatically locks the phone if it detects a snatch-and-grab theft.
- Identity Check is currently rolling out to Pixel devices running Android 15 and eligible Samsung Galaxy devices with One UI 7, with broader availability for other Android devices planned later this year.
Back in October 2024, Google began gradually rolling out its new anti-theft features in the US, roughly two months after the toolset’s brief testing period in Brazil. Theft protection essentially uses your device’s built-in safeguards to protect your personal data in case it is stolen.
As part of the toolset, Theft Detection Lock ensures that your device automatically locks when it detects that someone has snatched it from your hand and is running away. It is now availabe globally on Android 10+ phones. Offline Device Lock, on the other hand, ensures that your device automatically locks shortly after it goes offline.
Now, in a bid to protect your data when your device has been stolen and/or is being accessed by someone who knows your password, passcode, or PIN, Google is officially rolling out a new Identity Check feature.
Related
Android’s upcoming Identity Check will lock Chrome’s password autofill behind biometrics
Landing with Android 15 QPR1
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Identity Check — credible Android leaker Mishaal Rahman talked about it last year — but we sure do have more clarity surrounding it with today’s official launch.
For starters, the new feature, as its name suggests, will strive to check your identity whenever the occasion calls for it. The feature will require users to authenticate using biometrics such as fingerprint and facial recognition when accessing sensitive account or device settings. The extra layer of security will only kick in when the device is outside designated trusted locations. This should prevent unauthorized access, even if the person who stole your phone knows your passcode. It won’t be very helpful in situations where someone within your house has unauthorized access to your phone, considering that your house would be a ‘trusted location.’
Coming to more Android devices later this year
Source: Google
When you’re away from a trusted location, “biometric authentication will be required to access critical account and device settings, like changing your device PIN or biometrics, disabling theft protection, or accessing Passkeys,” wrote Google.
The feature is rolling out now, likely via a Find My or Play Services update for Pixel devices on Android 15 QPR1 stable, and on eligible One UI 7 Samsung Galaxy devices. The feature should show up within the Theft protection setting screen, which can be accessed via Settings → Google services and preferences (your name) → All services → Theft protection (under Personal & device safety). The feature will roll out to “supported Android devices” from other OEMs later this year.
