We tested theft detection lock and learned how to steal your phone

My phone is the center of my digital life, so when Android 15 added some new anti-theft features, I knew I had to check them out. Specifically, I wanted to test a new theft detection lock. Of course, it won’t prevent the actual theft of my phone, but it will prevent a thief from accessing my bank account, photos, or deleting all of my Pokémon Go Shinies.

What I didn’t expect was that it wouldn’t work at all. Well, not without at least a little help.

After turning on the theft detection lock and stepping outside, you are ready to start your criminal activities. I unlocked my phone and handed it to my wife, who quickly took it back and ran away.

After about 15 seconds of running, my lungs felt like they were on fire, I looked down at my phone and…nothing. Even if the thief did this, he could open and use any app because it was still unlocked and he had access to everything. My beautiful, shiny new Voltorb was in danger I could never have imagined until I learned about this feature. I repeated this many times, but to no avail. No theft detection or locking occurred.

To be fair, Android’s help page for this feature says, “If someone takes your phone out of your hands and runs, bikes, or drives away, the theft detection lock is removed.” It is only stated. May Please activate” (emphasis mine). But after dozens of attempts I’m really stumped.

Earlier this year, the feature was tested in Brazil, where this kind of thing is a serious problem. These results must have been positive. Otherwise, Google would not have rolled out this service globally.

So, is my area too safe to operate the device? (No, that shouldn’t be a consideration. As an aside, the company that tested these features is based in Spain, where I live. The idea that this feature would use location as an indicator was quickly dismissed as it was literally a 10 minute drive from where I was.) Maybe it was too close to an area I frequent. Maybe? Or maybe I’m not the great thief I thought I was.

I contacted Google to find out what was going on and see if they could provide any tips on how to steal my own phone. It turns out I was wrong.

As expected, this new feature primarily uses the built-in accelerometer to detect theft. If there is any sudden movement or change of direction, someone may have grabbed your phone and ran away. This algorithm uses some additional metrics, but we won’t share them for security reasons. Find out for yourself, you thief.

After considering Google’s advice, the key takeaway for me is that the thieves are in much better shape than me and can run longer and faster than this geeky author has run in over 20 years. That’s it. After some stretching and extra coffee, I was able to successfully get the theft detection lock working.

There were no fireworks or ribbons. My Android phone went back to the lock screen. The only reward for me was the push notifications and Robin Hoodian sense of accomplishment.

Under normal circumstances, you would take immediate action here and take all necessary steps to secure your lost phone. The first step is to permanently lock your phone, which is very easy with remote lock. If you’ve turned it on previously, you can turn it on by entering your phone number here. You can also contact your carrier to blacklist your phone’s IMEI to prevent others from using it.

Even if your data is turned off (turning Offline Device Lock on also locks your phone), Remote Lock will still be enabled once your network is detected.

If you’re lucky, you might even be able to find your phone using Find My Device. This is obviously risky, as you could literally be walking into a den of thieves. Depending on where you live, the police may not be able to cooperate with you, so this is not recommended.

Of course, all of this requires additional steps. All the theft detection lock does is put your phone back on the lock screen so that petty thieves can’t access your data. At this point, you can unlock as usual using your PIN or pattern.

I wish Google had included some additional features. For example, require biometric unlocking in addition to a PIN lock to ensure that you are truly the one unlocking your phone.

This feature can also send automatic email notifications in addition to push notifications, but they are useless if you don’t have your phone, so they only appear in case of false positives. Sending email requires access to a second device, but you may have a laptop or tablet that is readily accessible. For inexperienced users, that warning email includes instructions to lock your phone so you can protect your data faster.

To further speed up the process, Google can also send notifications to LTE-connected smartwatches to remotely wipe stolen devices. I’m not saying these should be turned on by default, but this provides additional security for informed users who are traveling in dangerous areas, for example.

Although you can eventually trigger the lock repeatedly (it will stop after two consecutive locks to prevent false positives), you’re not going to put all your eggs in this particular basket. In reality, it’s only useful if you want to protect your data, not your phone. There are also some fairly obvious issues.

For example, if someone sitting behind you at a coffee shop watches you long enough to know your PIN, you can kiss that shiny black Charizard goodbye. , and you can say goodbye to your bank funds too.

The algorithm also appears to be looking for very specific conditions to detect theft, with one of the requirements being active use of an app on the phone. This feature could not be triggered when the phone was idle on the home screen. In other words, if your device is unlocked on the table in front of you and someone snatches it while you’re not looking, nothing will be detected.

The same goes for trains, which are one of the most common places for cell phone theft. If someone snatches your phone from your hand the moment the train door closes, there’s no need to run away.

Still, it’s useful when combined with other features in Android 15’s anti-theft suite, such as remote lock and offline device lock. It’s at its best when you set it and forget it, even if the effect is mostly a placebo.

My advice? To ensure your phone and data are protected, simply use the wrist strap. Checkmate, thieves.