Android 16 put a digital bodyguard on my phone and you must enable it

Digital Trends

2 days ago

Over the past couple of years, Android's focus on user safety and device security has been pretty evident. The company has leveraged AI to build features that listen to calls and read messages in real-time and alert users if they are at risk of getting scammed.
Similar guardrails have also been put in place for web browsing in Chrome, and a whole bunch of lost device portion protocols have been baked into the OS' core. A few of them have remained exclusive to Google's Pixel phones (and some Samsung devices) so far, but with the release of Android 16, these benefits are now being extended to the entire platform.
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Two of those standout features that are now standard fare for Android devices moving ahead are Advanced Protection and Identity Check. These two essentially serve as digital bodyguards when the phone's in your hands, and even in scenarios it's beyond your reach.
Identity Check
The idea behind Identity Check is not too different from theft protection. Think of it like carrying a briefcase that contains sensitive paperwork, and it can only be opened using keys that are in the hands of higher-ranked officials in a lab, and those keys can never leave the lab, either.
In the case of Android 16, trusted locations act as that security key to access sensitive features on your Android phone. When you enable it, access to the following data and settings is automatically locked behind an identity verification:
Password autofill, Passwords and passkeys, changing screen lock method and details, factory reset, Find Hub deactivations, disabling theft protections, turning off identity check, changing and viewing trusted locations, setting up a new device using a stolen phone, and access to developer options.
Those are all changes that pose a tangible risk to the security of your data. In other words, if someone steals away with your phone, or you are worried that a bad actor is peeking at your screen for the passcode or service passwords, locking it behind a biometric verification in untrusted places will keep the data on your device safe.
And with it, everything else associated with your Google account. The threat is real. In 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported how thieves, using the knowledge of an iPhone's passcode, are locking users out of their own phone and causing all kinds of trouble, including serious financial damage.
In a nutshell, when you enable it, all your sensitive data and settings will require an extra layer of identity verification. I will strongly suggest that when you activate it, try to enable biometric lock (fingerprint or face scan) so that even if it can't be replicated by a thief, even if they have stolen your device, or someone is just trying to mess with your unattended phone.
Also, the trusted location is stored on your phone and not shared with Google. Additionally, you can (and should) enable it for all your Android devices separately.
Advanced Protection
Think of this as some sort of magic pill that offers end-to-end protection for your Android 16-powered phone. Whether you are browsing the web, installing apps, or there are risks from malware packages and leaky networks, enabling Advanced Protection will cover it all.
In fact, once you enable it, all the native features that are designed to protect you from attacks can't be disabled without your explicit approval. As soon as you enable it, your phone gets hardware as well as software-level protection across apps, web browsing, messaging, and calling.
The core idea is that you no longer have to dig into the Settings pages or a web dashboard to enable safety features for each scenario. There is also a dedicated system to protect your Google account. To enable it, go to the settings app, open the 'Security & privacy' dashboard, and scroll down to find the Advanced Protection option.
So, how does it work? Let's start at the device level. As soon as you enable it, it activates theft detection lock, offline device lock, inactivity reboot, and USB protection. What does that mean? To start, it blocks the USB port so that it only allows charging, and no data transfer or exfiltration.
Android 16 relies on an AI-powered system that can sense if a device has been snatched using motion cues. For such scenarios, the phone automatically locks itself. If the device is kept offline by the thief or they try to repeatedly unlock the screen by guessing the passcode, the device lock defaults to your biometrics, which can't be spoofed.
If you realize that your phone has been stolen, using the verified phone number and security question on a web dashboard, you can remotely lock the phone's screen. Finally, if your device stays unlocked for 72 hours, it reboots itself, which makes all the stored data unreadable until a fresh unlock.
Next, Advanced Protection automatically enabled safe browsing protocols in Chrome. When you visit a site that is risky, the browser will show you warnings about malware, abusive sites and extensions, phishing risks, malicious page elements, and intrusive ads.
Moreover, if you intend to download a file package, you will see a warning about that, as well. The Enhanced Safe Browsing mode can identify scam URLs that try to pass off as a legitimate service. All this happens because a sample of the webpage you are visiting is sent to Google for threat analysis, and it is accordingly flagged.
Sniffing scams everywhere
In the pre-installed Messages app, Google's AI will look for patterns in text messages to sense scams. Once something fishy is detected, users will be warned and given an option to instantly block and report it.
The AI will look for package delivery and job scams, among others, and will also warn them about risky links, especially from unknown contacts and international numbers. A similar system is in place for calls, where the AI will screen and decline spam calls.
Additionally, an AI will listen to the conversations, and when users are at risk of a social engineering attack or any such scam, they will see on-screen, audio, and haptic warning messages. For example, if a bad actor tells users to share an OTP, enable screen sharing, or install an app, an alert will be issued mid-way through the call.
Finally, to thwart risks from bad apps, Advanced Protection in Android 16 will enable the full Google Play Protect security suite. Aside from regularly scanning apps for malware, it also blocks the installation of apps from untrusted sources and enables an MTE feature that prevents an app from corrupting the local memory.
Overall, if you ever wished for a one-ring-to-rule-them-all safety solution for your phone, Android 16 finally brings it to your table. And once you install the update, make sure that you activate Advanced Protection and Identity Check without any delay.