Google brings new anti-theft feature Identity Check to Android phones

Last October, Google rolled out a critical security update to Android phones with anti-theft features including Theft Detection Lock, Remote Lock, and Offline Remote Lock.

Now, the search engine giant has introduced a new user privacy-centric update that further improves the anti-theft features of the phone.

Identity Check will offer enhanced protection for Android phone owner's critical account and device settings.

Once the Identity Check feature is turned on, the device will require explicit biometric authentication to access certain sensitive resources when you’re outside of trusted locations.

Further, Identity Check also enables enhanced protection for Google Accounts on all supported devices and additional security for Samsung Accounts on One UI 7 eligible Galaxy devices.

With this new feature, it will be much more difficult for an unauthorised attacker to take over accounts signed in on the device.

In the Identity Check feature, the Android phone owner can select one or more trusted locations.

Google's Identity Check feature.

And, whenever he/she is outside of these trusted places, biometric authentication is required to access critical account and device settings, like changing the device PIN or biometrics, disabling theft protection, or accessing Passkeys.

The new update also further improves the Theft Protection Lock (TPL) feature with new algorithm so that phone notices the theft attempt faster.

For the uninitiated, TPL is powered by an AI-based algorithm that runs on-device to help detect when the phone may be snatched from the owner.

The machine learning algorithm quickly detects a potential theft attempt on an unlocked device and it automatically locks the screen to keep thieves out.

This feature is being rolled out to devices with Android 10 or new versions worldwide.

However, the Identity Check feature will be available first on Pixel phones, and Samsung Galaxy S25, 25 Plus and S25 Ultra with OneUI 7 update (other eligible Samsung Galaxy phones). It will be released to other Android phones with Android 15 OS in the coming months.

Google said it is collaborating with GSMA (Groupe Spécial Mobile Association) to bring more such features, tools and preventive measures to protect Android phones from theft.

It will be bringing more such protective features to safeguard phones later this year and beyond.

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