Google Announced a Bunch of Security Upgrades for Android This Week

Google announced many new Android features and upgrades during The Android Show: I/O Edition. Among these are a handful of security and privacy tools Google hopes will protect users (and their data) from scams and theft. Android already has a suite of safeguards—in-call scam alerts, anti-theft settings, and a lockdown mode called Advanced Protection, to name a few—which the new features largely build on and strengthen. Here's what's new.

Android will automatically end calls that spoof financial institutions

Google rolled out a feature last year to protect against bank impersonators who might attempt to steal your login credentials or convince you to transfer money. In-call pop-ups warn you if you try to open a financial app while on the phone with unknown numbers to prevent you from sharing your screen with fraudsters. Now, Android will also attempt to verify calls purportedly from financial institutions and hang up if it detects that the call is a scam. If you have a participating bank's app installed on your device and are logged in, Android will use the app to confirm legitimacy. Initially, this feature will be available to users on Android 11 and higher who bank with Revolut, Itaú, and Nubank—meaning this won't apply to U.S. customers yet—but Google is expecting to expand to more institutions later this year.

Live Threat Detection is expanding how it spots malicious apps

Live Threat Detection is an AI-powered, on-device security feature that continuously scans apps' activity patterns to identify anything suspicious and potentially malicious. At launch, it focused on stalkerware, but it has since become more robust in detecting malware. Live Threat Detection will now check for SMS forwarding (if an app forwards a message to another number) and accessibility overlays, which use an accessibility permission to display content over your screen.

Later this year, Android 17 devices will also get dynamic signal monitoring, which identifies suspicious patterns in real time. You'll be warned if apps take actions like abusing accessibility permissions, or changing or hiding their icons and launching in the background.

Anti-theft upgrades will make it harder for bad actors to steal your data

Google announced a handful of upgrades to combat the consequences of device theft. First, "Mark as lost" on Android 17 will work with biometric authentication, so thieves won't be able to get into your phone if they learn your device passcode or PIN. When Mark as lost is enabled, it'll hide Quick Settings and block new wifi and Bluetooth connections. On supported devices, bad actors will have fewer attempts to guess your passcode or PIN and longer wait times between failed tries.

Existing Android theft protections—like Remote Lock and Theft Detection Lock—will now be enabled by default on new devices shipping with Android 17, as well as those that are reset or upgraded to the latest OS. These features will also be available down to Android 10 in select markets, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and the UK.

Finally, on Android 12 and higher, your phone's IMEI can be accessed on the lock screen to quickly verify device ownership. (You can also disable this in your settings.)

Location sharing is getting a privacy upgrade

Android already has the option to disable precise location sharing in favor of approximate location. Going forward, devices running Android 17 will be able to temporarily tap into precise location while a specific app is open without needing to update the settings or engage with repeated permission prompts. Temporary location access turns off when you close the app, so once you're done finding a nearby coffee shop, your precise location will no longer be visible. Users will also see a location indicator at the top of the screen and can tap to see which apps have recently used their location.

Another privacy upgrade: Instead of having full, broad access to all of the data in your address book, apps can now request specific contacts and even specific fields, so you don't have to share everything.

Advanced Protection will get stronger

Android Advanced Protection is more than most people need on a day-to-day basis, but it provides strong security for users at high risk of being targeted for fraud, scams, and theft. Pixel devices running Android 16 and higher will now have USB protection, and all devices with Android 16's December update and newer are getting intrusion logging. (This is currently rolling out.) Upgrades for Android 17 include removing accessibility services from apps that are not accessibility tools, disabling device-to-device unlocking, and integrating scam detection for chat notifications.

Google is also rolling out Android OS verification to ensure your device is running a legitimate build, and will hide OTP codes from most apps for three hours to prevent theft.

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