Android smartphones now have a flight protection function. Simple and efficient, it automatically blocks the phone as soon as it is stolen. You just have to activate it manually.
Even if they are less frequent than a few years ago, when smartphones were rarer, phones flights have not disappeared. And they are sometimes accompanied by physical violence, as certain tragic events have still recalled it recently.
Admittedly, the automatic locking and biometric identification devices limit the damage when a thief seizes a extinct or standby phone. But this is not the case if you are torn your phone from surprise by surprise, while you are quietly calling, watching a video or consulting social networks in the street, in a public place or in public transport.
The device being unlocked, the thief has indeed the leisure to use it and, above all, to plunder the precious information it contains (online accounts, passwords, bank details, etc.). And you better avoid running afterwards to recover it, at the risk of taking a bad blow … The only thing to do urgently is to get your hands on another device to make a remote lock, even before going to file a complaint (see our article).
Fortunately, the manufacturers have looked into the problem and have been developing anti -theft functions for some time. This is the case of Apple which set up this option on its ïphone (see our article), but also of Google, which did the same on Android smartphones (see our article). Deployed first on Pixel smartphones in the fall of 2024 and some Samsung devices, the device is starting today to expand on a larger number of devices operating from Android 10. Certainly, it will not prevent you from making you steal your smartphone, but it will save you precious time to lock it and prevent any use.
The anti -theft function integrated in Android 15 calls for artificial intelligence which is based on several sensors present in the device. The accelerometer, in particular, which makes it possible to detect a sudden change in movement in space, but also the gyroscope and the GPS. When an abnormal behavior is identified, the screen is immediately and automatically locked.
In the same way, the offline locking of the device is also activated. If the thief cuts the Internet connection for an extended period to prevent its location in order to make a remote erasure, the smartphone locks automatically. Nothing prevents you from locating your last location and proceeding with a remote locking or erasure since Google’s dedicated service. You don’t even need to remember your identifiers. A simple verified phone number is enough.
The device is in place on many smartphones equipped with Android from version 10. Google intends to deploy it massively through a Google Play update. The protection against theft is however not activated by default. Here’s how to do it.
► Access the device settings. On the displayed page, press Google.
►In the new page that is displayed, press the tab All services.
►The scroll the new page down to the section Device security and personal security and press Flight protection. Note that you can also find it directly by entering Flight protection in the search field of parameters.
►It remains to activate the two options: Lock in the event of flight detection And Offline device locking.
► You can also activate remote locking to be able to secure your stolen mobile from another device without remembering your Google identifiers from The dedicated service. Press Remote locking Then activate the option.
►namely, you have already activated the location of your mobile. If in doubt, check it by pressing on Locate and erase your device.
► In the page that is displayed, if not already done, activate the option.
►Your smartphone is now adorned to prevent a thief from subtitling your data or tries to erase it after his mischief.