Google Wants To Make Stolen Android Phones Basically Unsellable (androidauthority.com) 35
Google is enhancing Android's Factory Reset Protection (FRP) to make stolen phones virtually unusable by detecting setup wizard bypasses and requiring a second factory reset until ownership is verified. Android Authority reports: You can factory reset an Android phone in several ways. However, triggering a reset through the Android recovery menu or Google's Find My Device service activates Factory Reset Protection (FRP). During setup after such a reset, the wizard requires you to verify ownership by either signing into the previously associated Google account or entering the device's former lock screen PIN, password, or pattern. Failing this verification step blocks setup completion, rendering the device unusable. [...]
Factory Reset Protection (FRP) is a valuable feature that discourages theft by rendering stolen Android phones useless to potential buyers if wiped improperly. However, FRP isn't foolproof; thieves have discovered numerous methods over the years to circumvent it. These bypasses typically involve skipping the setup wizard, allowing someone to use the phone without entering the previous owner's Google account details or screen lock.
During The Android Show: I/O Edition, Google announced plans to "further harden Factory Reset protections, which will restrict all functionalities on devices that are reset without the owner's authorization." While the company didn't elaborate much, a screenshot it shared suggests that Android will likely detect if someone bypasses the setup wizard and then force another factory reset, preventing unauthorized use until the user proves ownership. [...] Google stated this FRP improvement is coming "later this year." Since the stable Android 16 release is coming soon, this timeline suggests the feature won't be part of the initial launch. It might arrive later in one of Android 16's Quarterly Platform Releases (QPRs), but that remains to be seen.
Factory Reset Protection (FRP) is a valuable feature that discourages theft by rendering stolen Android phones useless to potential buyers if wiped improperly. However, FRP isn't foolproof; thieves have discovered numerous methods over the years to circumvent it. These bypasses typically involve skipping the setup wizard, allowing someone to use the phone without entering the previous owner's Google account details or screen lock.
During The Android Show: I/O Edition, Google announced plans to "further harden Factory Reset protections, which will restrict all functionalities on devices that are reset without the owner's authorization." While the company didn't elaborate much, a screenshot it shared suggests that Android will likely detect if someone bypasses the setup wizard and then force another factory reset, preventing unauthorized use until the user proves ownership. [...] Google stated this FRP improvement is coming "later this year." Since the stable Android 16 release is coming soon, this timeline suggests the feature won't be part of the initial launch. It might arrive later in one of Android 16's Quarterly Platform Releases (QPRs), but that remains to be seen.
Not totally effective (Score:2)
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Indeed. But even cutting down on the low-skill thieves is worthwhile.
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Of course it will still get stolen .. but the rate will greatly reduce because it would have to be stolen by people "who know a guy who knows a guy" rather than by opportunistic thieves. iPhones are already seeing a reduction in theft rates, even though 95% of people don't bother to enable the new anti-theft feature of iOS 18.
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iPhones are already seeing a reduction in theft rates, even though 95% of people don't bother to enable the new anti-theft feature of iOS 18.
You mean what Apple refers to as "Stolen Device Protection"? That's crossed over into the realm of paranoia, locking the phone down to a level most people have no actual need for. My partner turned it on assuming it was just some innocuous extra anti-theft features, but quickly discovered after accidentally locking himself out of his phone for a few minutes that the feature absolutely sucks.
It really should be renamed "paranoid mode", because that's a far more apt description. The basic Find My iPhone fe
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You mean what Apple refers to as "Stolen Device Protection"? That's crossed over into the realm of paranoia, locking the phone down to a level most people have no actual need for. My partner turned it on assuming it was just some innocuous extra anti-theft features, but quickly discovered after accidentally locking himself out of his phone for a few minutes that the feature absolutely sucks.
Weird. Until reading this post I had completely forgotten that I enabled the feature when it was released early last year. It hasn't disrupted my use of the phone a single time.
Re: Not totally effective (Score:2)
What's different is the vast number of models running Android. The value of stolen replacement parts will be significantly hindered by the relatively small market.
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Then buy a not very expensive, not very popular phone and you are safe? I already do that.
I want some non google phones (Score:4, Insightful)
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How do you want less attachment than a FairPhine gives you? They give you the build-system for their images...
Re: I want some non google phones (Score:2)
You failed reading comprehension. Read the post you replied to again.
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Not really. The posting was garbled. I made an assumption about the different possibilities.
Re: I want some non google phones (Score:2)
Why would the average consumer want to buy a phone with no App Store?
No Play Services mean no push notifications on an android phone.
They'll return the phone as soon as they realise they can't use it to get their Gmail
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... the app store 99% of the population no one cares about, or has even heard of.
Nor is there an alternative to the push notification service from Play Services.
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And they are? Samsung is selling for sure many more than Google. Oh, but they still run Android. So is the FairPhone you wanted.
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There's not really a market for that which would justify selling them in bigbox stores. Almost everyone with a phone wants a built in app-store containing all the mainstream apps which are just a pain to install if you have to get them from unofficial sources.
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Get a Huawei :)
Non Google phones will be easily available when the market will demand them, so far most people actually want Google apps, like Maps, Youtube and such.
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Could you not get one that is supported by Lineage OS and use that Google-free?
Lol (Score:3, Funny)
They’re already unsellable. No one steals android phones
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There are expensive Android phones, that some people for some reason apparently pay a lot of money for. Weird when the sweet spot is only a couple to a few hundred bucks.
The real reason? (Score:5, Insightful)
I know there aren't that many people who have installed an alternative OS on their Android phone. Still, I bet that every one of us pisses Google off at least a little bit. I suspect that this new anti-theft feature will make it much harder, if not impossible, to turf The Goog's spyware from a phone. Maybe this isn't Google's primary motive, but I'm sure they considered it while contemplating their anti-theft plans.
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I get a new phone, and I have it connected to my computer to rip out a lot of crap before I use it.
If Google goes too far, some Chinese company will start shipping an alternate OS that foreign consumers find acceptable.
With recent American politics, people outside the US are a lot less wary of the CCP.
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With recent American politics, people outside the US are a lot less wary of the CCP.
I feel that way too, but I'm aware that at best I'm deceiving myself. China hasn't changed since America became a Fascist regime, and I still consider it to be a grave danger to the world. But it's a lot farther away than Trumpistan is, and I feel that any overt aggression it takes will be in the future. The US threat is nearby, immediate, and highly volatile.
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I've been saying for years that - so long as I'm not working in a sensitive environment - I'd rather have the CCP spy on me than an American three letter agency.
I'm not Chinese, I have no friends or family in China, and I'm not currently in a position where China would gain anything by compromising me... not that I'd ever be compromised... I always pass my background checks when I work on things that require them, and I've pretty much had 'security-enemas' a couple of times.
Basically, even pre-Trump the US
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Huawei already sell an alternate OS, buyers avoid it like plague toe to the lack of Google apps
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Locked down bootloaders already prevent people from easily installing alternative OSs.
Having an anti-theft feature is a good feature for consumers (meaning they will consider buying a new android phone) plus it reduces the secondary market (more phone sales!)
Good thing (Score:3)
Even it limited and very likely can be circumvented.
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Even it limited and very likely can be circumvented.
Apple did it first. Ever since they implemented their iCloud lock, what I would've like to have seen was the implementation of a procedure whereby legitimate phone refurbishment businesses could request device unlocking. These anti-theft locks contribute significantly to the proliferation of e-waste, when the previous owner of a phone donates it for recycling/re-use but fails to deactivate the lock.
Yes, phones are typically checked for an activation lock when the previous owner is doing a trade-in apprais
Re: Good thing (Score:2)
"My Google account got hacked, now my phone is useless" would be more likely to convince the person they should buy an iPhone next time.
I'm fine with it (Score:1)
If I can turn it off
Typical dishonest corporate bull excrement (Score:2)
Since when did Google care if any of YOUR personal property got stolen? Think about it. Have they ever offered to help you keep anyone from reselling something stolen from you? You may be running an Android phone, but it's likely you it's not made by Google (yeah, I know, SOME people do have Google phones.. which is why I wrote "likely").
What's really going on here? They're gonna change it so that if you need to do a certain recovery process, you'll need to use your Google account... which will force people