Stolen Device Protection on Android: The Tools That Protect Your Data From Thieves.

Theft protection refers to the resources, both preventive and reactive, that Android offers to protect your devices and data from unauthorized access in the event of theft.

This encompasses a range of features, including factory reset protection, remote lock, theft detection lock, and offline device lock. With these stolen device protection features, our focus is to deter theft, protect your sensitive information and provide you with tools to recover or secure your device.

The best way to ensure the safety of your data is to take steps to implement theft protection measures for your mobile before it’s stolen.

Android Factory Reset Protection

One of the most common plans for thieves is factory resetting stolen devices and quickly selling them. With Factory Reset Protection (FRP), that becomes quite a bit harder, as your Google account credentials become necessary to set up the device again after a factory reset, essentially making selling the phone impractical, as nobody without access to your information would be able to use the phone.

This feature is enabled automatically when you add a Google account to your device.

Private space

Some files and apps require more security than others, especially those dealing with sensitive information, such as your health or financial data.

The private space feature, available for devices running Android 15 and up, allows you to hide apps from view and lock their use behind a PIN, biometric verification, pattern or password. This is very useful for apps with sensitive information, such as finance and health related applications.

One thing to keep in mind is that apps in a locked private space don’t run any activities in the foreground or background, such as showing notifications or gathering any sort of data automatically (i.e.: a health app that tracks your activity during the day). They are hidden from quick search bar queries and recent activity, guaranteeing maximum privacy and security.

To set up a private space, follow these steps on your Android device:

1. Open your device’s Settings app.
2. Tap Security & Privacy.
3. Under “Privacy”, tap Private space. You will need to authenticate with your device screen lock (if you don’t have one, you will be asked to set up one).
4. Tap Set up and then Got it.
5. You can use your device’s current screen lock or create a different lock for the private space, which would be the most secure option. You can use biometric access, but if that’s not possible, you can set up other types of locks, such as PIN or a password.

Tip: To get the most from your private space, set up a different Google Account on your device just for it. This would make using some apps a bit more convenient while still keeping your data protection high.

Identity Check

Identity Check is an Android theft protection feature1 that adds biometric verification to sensitive actions on your device or Google Account outside of trusted places. If thieves want to run a factory reset or turn off any theft protection features on your device, they won’t be able to do that without your biometrics.

You can also extend this protection to all Google Accounts signed in on the same device. So, for example, you would need biometric authentication for password changes or any alterations to recovery factors.

To turn Identity Check on:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap Google, then All Services, then Theft Protection
3. Click on Identity Check.
4. To activate, you will need to:
   • Sign in to a Google Account
   • Add a screen lock (in case you haven’t already)
   • Add biometrics, such as Fingerprint or Face Unlock
   • Register your trusted places, such as your office or home
   • Verify your phone number (this is optional, but makes it easier to recover your Google Account if needed)
   • Click on “Done” after completing the previous steps

So you have set up all preventive measures, but is your Android device protected if a thief manages to steal it? When these automated features kick in, they add another layer of security to your device and data.

Offline Device Lock

Offline Device Lock is a feature available on Android 10+ devices. It allows your device to lock the screen when it’s disconnected from the internet for prolonged periods of time. This could happen, for example, if a thief disconnects your phone from the internet to prevent you from using Find My Device. It’s important to note that your phone must be unlocked when it loses connectivity for this feature to activate, and the screen can be locked twice in a 24-hour period.

To turn on Offline Device Lock, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap Google, then All Services, then Theft Protection
3. Turn on Offline Device Lock

Theft Detection Lock

Theft Detection Lock is an AI-powered feature also available on Android 10+ devices. By using the phone’s motion sensors, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, it is able to detect motions commonly associated with thefts, for example someone snatching the phone from your hands and running away. The feature, then, locks the screen, making it harder for criminals to access your data.

It is important to note that this feature is not active if the screen is already locked. To turn on Theft Detection Lock, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap Google, then All Services, then Theft Protection
3. Turn on Theft Detection Lock²

There are also some features you can activate and rely upon after your phone is stolen, either to buy you time or to help you locate the device.

Find My Device

If your phone does get stolen, Find My Device is one of the most powerful tools in Android’s theft protection suite. It can be used to locate the device, lock the screen or erase the data from the phone.

Once you add a Google Account to your device, Find My Device is turned on by default. In order to find, secure or erase your Android device, it must have power, be connected either to a mobile network (in case of a smartphone) or Wi-Fi, be signed in on a Google Account and have the feature turned on.

If your phone got stolen or you lost your device and cannot find it, follow this step-by-step guide to use the Find My Device feature:

1. On a different Android device, open the Find My Device app
   • If you don’t have the app, download it from Google Play.
   • If you don’t have an Android device, you can use the browser version.
2. Sign in
3. Find the device you want to locate from the listed options³
4. You will get information on the device’s location on the map, based on GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile network data
5. Select an action

If you are confident that you lost your device nearby, you can choose to play a sound on it. This will trigger a ring at full volume for 5 minutes, even if the device is set to silent or vibrate.

You can also mark the device as lost. In this instance, the device will be locked with your PIN or password, and you can set up a lock if you haven’t already. You can also add a message or phone number to assist someone who finds your device and wants to return it to you.

Finally, you can delete a device you can’t find and wipe the stored data. To do that, select “Factory Reset {your device name}”. Important to note that this may not delete SD cards slotted in the device, and that after you do this, you can no longer track the device with Find My Device.

Remote Lock

Sometimes, the stress and confusion of having your mobile stolen can lead you to forget the PIN or password associated with the Find My Device app. In this case, there is one step that can buy you precious time. The Remote Lock feature allows you to screen lock your phone remotely using only your phone number and a security challenge.

To use Remote Lock, you must have a screen lock, an active SIM card in your device, another device with a verified phone number, Find My Device must be turned on, and the device you are trying to lock must be online. If the device is offline when you use Remote Lock to request a screen lock, it will be locked as soon as it goes online. The device screen can be locked remotely twice within 24 hours.

To turn on Remote Lock, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap Google, then All Services, then Theft Protection
3. Turn on Remote Lock

To complete the activation process, you must have a verified phone number. If your phone number is not verified, tap Verify number and turn on Automatically verify phone numbers.

We know that there is no easy way to deal with having your device stolen. However, with the features described above, you can buy some time, protect your sensitive information within your account and even completely reset the device remotely, giving you some much needed peace of mind.

Footnotes:

1. Only available for devices that support class 3 biometrics. For more information, including a comprehensive list of actions protected by Identity Checks, see https://support.google.com/android/answer/15146908?hl=en-in.
2. If the option to turn on Theft Detection Lock is greyed out, your device is not compatible. For more information, see https://support.google.com/android/answer/15146908?hl=en-in.
3. If you are running Android 9 or above, you may be prompted to provide the lock screen PIN for the Android device you are trying to locate. If you are running Android 8 or an earlier version, you might be prompted for your Google password. For more information, see https://support.google.com/android/answer/6160491?hl=en-in.