Google presented in Brazil this Tuesday three new functions in the Android operating system for block stolen cell phones. The updates will be available to users from July. During 2022, Brazil recorded nearly one million cell phone thefts, according to data from the NGO Public Security Forum. That figure is equivalent to a increase of 16.6% compared to 2021.
The new features will be tested first in Brazil, and then expanded to users around the world. The country of Rio de Janeiro is one of the larger markets for the American company, and one of the countries with the worst cell phone theft rates in the region.
“Feedback from Brazilian users inspired these (Android) anti-theft features and the country will be the first to test them,” explained Fabio Coelho, director of Google in Brazil, in an article published on the platform.
Apple, Google’s main competitor for mobile phone operating systems, had launched anti-theft features for your iOS system in January.
What are the new Android features in Brazil
One of those functions, which uses artificial intelligence, allows the automatic cell phone screen lock in the event of sudden movements that the system identifies as a possible theft by force.
Another function will allow the user lock the device remotelyentering the phone number on a web page, without the need to enter personal passwords.
The third option is a automatic phone lock which is activated if situations occur such as the removal of the SIM card or the prolonged loss of the internet connection.
Secure Cell Phone: the Brazilian Government’s application to block stolen cell phones
These functionalities are added to an application launched by the Brazilian Government last December, called Celular Seguro, which also allows the Remote lock a stolen or lost phone.
In the first six months of operation, about two million users downloaded the application and nearly 50,000 alerts of robbery, theft or loss were registered, according to data from the Brazilian Ministry of Justice.
The problem mainly affects the inhabitants of large cities such as Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo, where last year the “bicycle gang” phone thefts multiplied committed by people in that means of transportation.
