This is how Android wants to make stolen smartphones unsellable

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Despite the many protections already available on our smartphones, thefts continue to be common in the world. But the good news is that Google is preparing to deploy, on Android 15, additional features to deter these smartphone thefts. And among these new features, there is a function of Android 15 that will make it more complicated to factory reset stolen smartphones.

A new feature already available on Android 15

“For some criminals, the goal is to quickly reset your stolen device and resell it. We’re making that harder with an upgrade to Android’s factory reset protection. With this upgrade, if a thief forces a reset on your stolen device, they won’t be able to set it up again without knowing your device credentials or Google Account. This makes a stolen device unsellable, reducing the incentives for phone theft,” the company explained in an announcement published in May.

And according to a recent article from Android Authority, this feature is already available on Android 15. Our colleagues explain that when a person tries to erase the data of a smartphone using recovery mode, the new interface of the operating system requires a connection to the Google account associated with the device. In other words, the agreement of the owner of this Google account is required, who must use his password.

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A biometric protection for certain parameters

Google is also taking inspiration from an iPhone security feature that protects sensitive settings and data even when a thief knows their victim’s PIN code (thieves can spy on their targets or socialize to learn the code before taking action). In May, the Mountain View firm announced enhanced authentication that, when enabled, requires biometric identification to change certain sensitive settings (such as changing the PIN code, disabling anti-theft protections, or accessing access keys).

Otherwise, Google will also use AI to detect smartphone thefts and immediately lock the device. “If a common movement associated with a theft is detected, your phone screen quickly locks, preventing thieves from easily accessing your data”, explains the Mountain View firm.

Android 15 already available on AOSP

As a reminder, a few days ago, Google announced the availability of the source code for the final version of Android 15 on the AOSP open source project. And the next step will be the deployment of this update to Pixel smartphones in the coming weeks, and to models from brands like Samsung, Honor, OnePlus and Xiaomi “in the coming months”.

• The Android 15 update includes many security features, including a new protection intended to make stolen smartphones unsellable
• Indeed, the new protection put in place by the firm requires the connection to the Google account of the owner of a smartphone so that it can be reset
• However, a smartphone that cannot be reset is an unsaleable smartphone
• Google is also preparing a feature that will protect sensitive settings, even when the thief knows your PIN code
• Android 15 is already available on the open source project (AOSP) and will arrive in the coming weeks on compatible Google Pixel devices

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