Important:Some of these steps only work on Android 15 and up. Learn how to check your Android version .
To minimize the impact of phone theft, protect your data and your device with security features.
Turn on Theft protection
Important:
- Some steps only work on Android 10 and up. Learn how to check your Android version .
- These features aren’t supported on Android Go devices, tablets, and wearables. Support may also vary based on your smartphone device model.
- To turn on these features, set a lock screen on your device. Learn how to set screen lock on an Android device .
To turn on Theft protection features:
- Open your device’s Settings app.
- Tap Google All services Theft protection.
To manage features on a supported Android device, learn how to protect your personal data against theft .
Turn on Theft Detection LockTo detect if someone unexpectedly takes your device and runs away, Theft Detection Lock uses AI, your device’s motion sensors, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. If Theft Detection Lock detects your device is taken from you, it automatically locks your device's screen to protect its content. For example, if someone grabs the phone out of your hand and they run, bike, or drive away, the Theft Detection Lock may activate.
Important:
- When the device’s screen is locked, Theft Detection Lock isn’t active.
- To limit interruptions during regular device use, Theft Detection Lock may not trigger when:
- Your device has either a stable Wi-Fi connection, Bluetooth connection, or both.
- There were repeated locks in a short period of time.
- To protect your sensitive data if your phone is stolen, Theft Detection Lock uses device sensors to identify theft attempts.
- If your phone locks while you use it, just unlock and continue to use your device. We’ll continue to improve the feature to minimize interruption to normal use.
To turn on Theft Detection lock:
- Open your device’s Settings app.
- Tap Google All services Theft protection.
- Turn on Theft Detection Lock.
- If the setting for “Theft Detection Lock” is grayed out, your device doesn’t support this feature.
If your device is lost or stolen, to quickly lock your screen, you can use Remote Lock with a verified phone number.
Important:To use Remote Lock, you must have:
- A screen lock
- An active SIM card on your device
- A device with a verified phone number
- Find Hub turned on
- A device connected to the internet
If your device is offline when you send a lock screen request through Remote Lock, its screen locks automatically once it’s online. After your device's screen is locked remotely, it can only be unlocked locally with your screen lock. The device’s screen can be locked remotely twice in a 24-hour period.
To turn on Remote Lock :
- Open your device’s Settings app.
- Tap Google All services Theft protection.
- Tap Remote Lock.
- Turn on Remote lock.
- To complete activation, you need a verified phone number.
- If your phone number isn’t verified:
- Tap Verify number.
- Turn on Automatically verify phone numbers.
If you lose your phone or suspect it was stolen:
- Go to android.com/lock .
- Enter your phone number.
- Complete the reCaptcha challenge.
- Ask for the device to be locked.
- Shortly after, the phone screen locks.
Tip:To wipe, secure, or erase your device data remotely after you lock your device, you must sign in to Find Hub. Learn how to find your Android device .
After your device goes offline, Offline Device Lock automatically locks your device screen. For example, if someone steals your phone and turns off the internet, it prevents you from finding it with Find Hub. After a short period of being used offline, your device locks.
Important:
- Your phone must be unlocked when it loses internet connectivity.
- The screen can be locked twice in a 24-hour period.
To turn on Offline Device Lock:
- Open your device’s Settings app.
- Tap Google All services Theft protection.
- Turn on Offline Device Lock.
Turn on Identity Check
To verify your identity, Identity Check requires biometrics and other safeguards. You can verify your identity when you perform sensitive actions on your device or make changes to your Google Account outside trusted places.
Important:Only devices that support class 3 biometrics have Identity Check. If the "theft protection" settings page doesn’t list Identity Check, your device doesn't support it.
Sensitive actions that require biometric authentication
Biometric authentication is required to:
- Access saved passwords and passkeys with Google Password Manager.
- Autofill passwords in apps from Google Password Manager, except in Chrome.
- Change screen lock, like PIN, pattern, and password.
- Change biometrics, like Fingerprint or Face Unlock.
- Run a factory reset.
- Turn off Find Hub.
- Turn off any theft protection features.
- Find trusted places.
- Turn off Identity Check.
- Set up a new device with your current device.
- Add or remove a Google Account.
- Access Developer options.
Tip:You can continue to use PIN, pattern, or passwords for:
- Private space
- Multi-users mode
- Autofill payments in apps
- Password and payments autofill in Chrome
Google Account protections
To add extra security to Google Accounts, you can use Identity Check. This makes it harder for an unauthorized person to take over any Google Account signed in on this device.
When "Identity Check" is on, you’ll need biometrics to:
- Change your password from account settings or through "Forgot password."
- Add or change recovery factors on your device to get your account back.
To turn on Identity Check
- Open your device’s Settings app.
- Tap Google All services Theft protection.
- Tap Identity Check.
- To activate:
- Sign in to a Google Account.
- Add a screen lock.
- Add biometrics, like Fingerprint or Face Unlock.
- Add your trusted places, like Home or Work.
- To easily recover your Google Account, verify your phone number.
- After completion, tap Done.
To turn off Identity Check
- Open your device’s Settings app.
- Tap Google All services Theft protection.
- Tap Identity Check.
- Turn off Identity Check.
- Verify your identity
- If you’re away from trusted places, you need to verify it’s you with biometrics or a Google Account.
- If you use a Google Account:
- To turn off "Identity Check," on your device, choose a Google Account.
- Confirm the Google Account’s password.
- To find the option to use a Google Account password, tap Try another way.
- If you turn on 2-Step Verification for your Google Account, you’re required to present a second factor after you enter your Google Account password.
Tip:To turn off "Identity Check" with your Google Account, you need to have an internet connection.
Additional theft protection featuresTo protect your data from thieves and unauthorized access, Android theft protection includes additional built-in features that are designed to protect your data. These include:
- Failed Authentication Lock:Locks your device’s screen after consecutive failed authentication attempts across the device when you sign into apps or operating system functions protected by user logins.
- Protect sensitive settings:Restricts unauthorized access to sensitive admin processes when you require PIN, password or biometric authentication for actions, like when you turn off Find Hub or extend screen timeout.
- Private space:Hide and organize apps in a separate space. Learn how to hide sensitive apps with private space .
Important:
- Some of these features work only on Android 15 and up. Learn how to check your Android version .
- Built-in features, like Failed Authentication Lock and protect sensitive settings, require a lock screen for added security and are turned on by default.
To keep your info safe from unauthorized individuals:
- Use a strong PIN with six or more digits.
- Create a pattern with a complicated sequence.
- Create a unique password to protect your data.
Even if you use biometrics, you’ll still want a strong password in case an unauthorized individual tries to override your biometric protections. Learn how to set screen lock on an Android device .
With fingerprint or facial recognition, Biometric authentication provides both security and convenience. Devices with biometric recognition make it harder for unauthorized individuals to access your phone and don’t slow down user experience.
Users are strongly encouraged to set up biometrics for authentication. For the specific setup steps, please refer to your device manufacturer for additional information and assistance.
You can pin a screen to lock your device to only one app, it remains in view until you unpin with your PIN, pattern, or password. When you pin a screen, you can use the device but only for a selected app. Learn how to pin and unpin screens .
Many apps provide additional security when you:
- Add a PIN or password.
- Use biometrics, like fingerprint or face recognition.
- Use two-step verification to unlock your device.
For apps with sensitive or important information, like finance, payment, or social apps, search for additional security options to add under the security or privacy settings.
For websites that support them, passkeys are a secure way to sign in without a password. Learn how to sign-in to your applications and websites with passkeys .
Important:Before your device is lost or stolen, make sure you’re signed in to your Google Account and your Location and Find Hub settings are turned on. Learn how to use Find Hub .
If your Android device is stolen or you’re not sure if it’s been taken, you can find, secure, or erase its data remotely. If you've added a Google Account to your device, Find Hub is automatically turned on.
- You can lock the screen and log yourself out of your Google Accounts on the device.
- You can view the location of your device using the Find Hub app or webpage. If you can’t retrieve it, you can mark it as lost.
- You can erase your device data and factory reset your device.
If you lost your device to theft, you may also lose important data that you can’t replace. To make sure your data is preserved and you can factory reset your device without losing your data, turn on device backup. Learn how to back up and restore data on your Android device .
Your phone has a unique serial number and a unique IMEI number assigned by a mobile network operator. This can be helpful for your mobile network operator to find your phone or pause services in case it’s missing.
If you report a stolen phone, law enforcement may also ask for your serial number and IMEI number. Learn how to find your phone’s IMEI number .
To find your IMEI number:
- Open your device’s Settings app.
- Select About Phone.
If your device is lost or stolen, an unauthorized individual can use your SIM card within your device to control your phone number. To prevent your SIM from being used without your authorization, protect your device SIM with a PIN.
You’ll be asked for your SIM PIN whenever you turn on your device or the SIM is inserted into a different device.
To set up a SIM PIN:
- Open your device’s Settings app.
- Tap Security & Privacy More Security Settings.
- Tap SIM Lock Lock SIM.
Tip:Some carriers have a default PIN, which is available to the public. For stronger protection, it’s recommended to change it.
Information from notifications in the lock screen can give unauthorized individuals information they can use to access your data. To prevent this, you can control what notification content is shown on the lock screen. Learn how to control notifications on Android .
To hide notifications on lock screen:
- Open your device’s Settings app.
- Tap Security & Privacy More Security Settings Notifications on lock screen.
