One of the most important novelties presented by Google for Android this year is a new function that can detect if your cell phone has been stolen. However, this function will not only be available for the new Android 15, but many users of mobile devices with the green Android operating system will be able to take advantage of this protection.
This is the case of SamsungGalaxy. The South Korean company’s mobile devices have already received this new security feature, after the latest One UI update. There are already many devices with this function, we will tell you everything you need to know about this new security measure for your smartphone.
How theft detection lock works and how to enable it on Samsung Galaxy
The new Theft Detection Lock is a function that uses the device’s motion sensors, in addition to its connection systems, to detect if someone has taken your mobile in a sharp and sudden way. For example, If a thief snatched your cell phone from your hands
Although the Samsung Galaxy has security measures to prevent thieves from accessing your device, such as biometric blocking (either fingerprint or facial recognition), these measures don’t help much. if your cell phone was stolen while you were using it and the device has been unlocked. What the new theft detection lock does is protect your device in these cases.
When a theft is detected, the smartphone will lock its screen and it will be necessary to use the fingerprint or PIN code to access the device, thus our files and all sensitive content that we store on our phones will be protected: thieves will not be able to access our information or our applications, like WhatsApp.
To activate the new theft detection lock we follow these steps:
- We go to the System Settings menu and access the Security and Privacy section
- Then we access ‘More security settings‘
- Then we select ‘Theft protection‘
In this menu, it is recommended to activate both options: “Theft detection lock” and “Offline device lock”. In addition to the theft detection lock, the second option adds another security measure: it will lock the device’s screen after a short while if it detects that it has been disconnected (for example, if airplane mode has been activated).
These new security measures are now available on Samsung Galaxy devices with One UI 6.1 and One UI 6.1.1 operating system versions. The tool does not appear immediately after updating. For example, I received the update to One UI 6.1.1 several weeks ago, but this new feature was recently enabled almost by surprise.
Cover photo | Alejandro Alcolea for Xataka
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