Cell phone theft is a serious problem and, unfortunately, quite common in all Latin American countries. This would be one of the reasons why Google has chosen Brazil as one of the countries in which it will begin testing the new Android Theft Protection Systemwhich consists of three functions and uses several mobile sensors to work properly.
The idea of this system is to protect the essentials of our smartphone: our data, photos, files and private information. Yes, cell phones are expensive and being a victim of theft or losing your cell phone involves an expense when you want to replace it. But it could be worse: criminals could access our data, our virtual wallets and even our contact list. Android’s new “anti-theft” system seeks to prevent this.
In Brazil, more than a million cell phones are stolen every year
According to an official report from the Brazilian government, in 2022 almost a million smartphones were stolen in the country, making it one of the countries with the highest number of mobile phone thefts in Latin America. In Mexico, on the other hand, some 4.6 million cell phones were stolen in the same year, while in Peru, 1.7 million cell phones were stolen in 2023.
Brazil has been chosen as one of the first countries in Latin America to test the recently introduced Android anti-theft system. The system consists of three functions:
- Your cell phone can detect if it has been stolen from your hand : Thanks to the sensors, it can detect sudden movements while you are using the smartphone, which indicates that you may have been robbed and will lock the screen.
- Android will lock the phone if certain conditions are met: For example, the mobile will be locked if it detects that the internet connection has been lost for a long time or if the SIM card has been removed.
- Lock the device remotely: Google launches a new way to lock the mobile, by entering our phone number on an official Google site and verifying our identity.
In general, Android will be smarter and will be able to detect theft
The Android anti-theft system will arrive in Brazil next July, and will be available for mobile phones equipped with Android 10 or higher. In the future, this system will also expand to more countries.
Cover photo | Ricardo Aguilar for Xataka
By | 20 minutes – Reuters
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