Google's new AI shield against smartphone theft: A breakthrough in security

The loss of a smartphone today transcends the loss of a costly gadget; it equates to being cut off from essential data. Our smartphones are vaults to our bank apps, home monitoring, emails, and tools for overseeing home networks and devices. The impact of such a loss is profound, particularly when a phone is abruptly snatched out of one's grip on the street.

Leading the charge is a theft detection lock mechanism powered by artificial intelligence. This system identifies abrupt and unusual device movements typical of theft scenarios, such as the rapid snatching of the phone and its immediate motion in the opposite direction. Upon detecting such activities, the smartphone automatically locks itself, thereby thwarting the thief's access to personal data.

But Google doesn't stop there. To further deter the resale of stolen smartphones, it introduces additional security layers: Offline Device Lock and Factory Reset Protection.

The Offline Device Lock feature activates when the phone is deliberately disconnected from the network following several unsuccessful authentication attempts. Factory Reset Protection ensures that a thief cannot reset the device back to its factory settings without the Google account details. Both the Theft Detection Lock and Offline Device Lock features will be incorporated into all devices running Android 10 and above, whereas the advanced lock functionality before a factory reset will exclusively be available for devices on Android 15.