An anti-theft upgrade for Android phones is coming. Here's how to find out if you have it

Your Android phone should soon get an AI-powered anti-theft upgrade that will help protect your personal information.

In May, Google introduced a new theft detection locking tool for Android phones. The feature detects a device's movement – such as someone grabbing a phone and then running, cycling or driving away – and immediately locks the screen, Google says.

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According to a Reddit post by Android journalist Mishaal Rahman, Theft Detection Lock is finally rolling out on a larger scale. “I just checked my Xiaomi 14T Pro and found that I have an anti-theft lock and an offline device lock, but not a remote lock,” he wrote. “Some Pixel users in the US tell me they have Remote Lock, but the other two don't.” Many users responded that they had some or all of the features.

You can see what features you have by searching for “anti-theft” in your phone’s settings menu.

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So how does the theft detection feature work? Google explains that the AI ​​uses your phone's gyroscope and accelerometer to look for “common movements related to theft.” What exactly these movements are is not described in detail, but they are likely to be a quick jerk or jolt followed by a rapid acceleration. When the tool detects these movements, it immediately locks your phone screen.

The anti-theft detection tool is one of several security enhancements Google announced earlier this year to protect your data “before, during and after theft,” including:

• This makes it more difficult to factory reset a phone and set it up under a new account
• Private areas to hide sensitive apps
• The ability to mark your phone as lost in Find My Device to make tracking easier
• Automatic lockout for excessively failed authentication
• The ability to lock your phone when it is offline
• Remote lock that allows you to lock your phone screen with just your number and a quick security challenge

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Google will make the new tools available via an update to Google Play Services. Some features will only be available in Android 15.