With this rise in smartphone theft, manufacturers and software developers have been compelled to innovate and strengthen the implementation of security features in order to protect user’s personal information and prevent unauthorized use of devices.
In this whitepaper, we conduct a comprehensive functional testing of new Phone Theft Protection features in Android 15+ and GMSCore versions 24.28 and above. By evaluating the effectiveness of the security features under various theft scenarios we can better appreciate the need for enhanced security measures. We analyze the robustness of Phone Theft Protection features to provide insights and recommendations for improving these features, making sure they meet security requirements and standards as well as user expectations.
It is important to mention that these features are currently available on selected Android 10+ devices. Additionally, the minimum GMSCore version required to utilize these features is 24.28, specifically for initial availability in Brazil, as the launch of the external public version is still undetermined. This testing involved early access to these features, which are not yet available to the public on the specified versions. Features discussed in this whitepaper are part of the ongoing development and testing, and their availability will be announced once it finalized.
