Our smartphones contain practically all the most sensitive information and data about us such as personal messages, contact information, bank details, private photographs and much more besides. That’s why it can be such a headache if our phones are lost or stolen and people can access all the apps on board.
To help with this, Google is pushing out a significant update for all Android phones and tablets that will automatically restart your device if it has been “locked for 3 consecutive days”.
As spotted by 9to5Google, this new feature was added with the latest Google Play services update and is listed as a Security & Privacy measure.
If your phone is pinched it is easy for criminals to access your personal data and apps if the device is still unlocked, but even if it was locked or you managed to press the lock button in time, there are still ways of getting around your PIN code or biometrics.
Restarting your phone after three days is Google’s way of trying to ensure, if your phone is lost or stolen, that it is even harder to access what’s on it. Restarting an Android phone boots it in a mode where your data is much harder to get at because biometric logins (which sometimes can be fooled with a picture of you) are not enabled.
Because your passcode or PIN has not been entered, it is much more difficult for crooks to use sneaky workarounds to get into your phone.
“Android’s new auto-reboot is a welcome security feature that works in a similar way to Apple’s ‘inactivity reboot’”, said Adam Boynton, Senior Security Strategy Manager EMEIA at security firm Jamf.
“By putting Android phones and tablets into a ‘Before First Unlock’ (BFU) state, information remains encrypted, making it harder for cybercriminals to unlock or extract data. Furthermore, BFU prevents access to the device via biometric methods such as fingerprint or facial recognition.
“Forcing a device into a BFU state rather than the traditional ‘After First Unlock’ (AFU) state means the device is better protected if it is lost or stolen.
“Google confirmed that the rollout will be via Play Services, so most users should receive the new security feature without needing to perform a full OS update. This is a smart move by Google, as one of the main reasons users miss out on the latest security features is because they don’t update their devices.”
To ensure you have the newest Google Play services update installed on your Android phone or tablet, tap here to view the Google Play services app. It should show which version you have installed, the new one being 25.14. If you don’t have it yet, you might be able to tap to update, otherwise it should update automatically in the coming days.