A new Android feature locks your screen if your phone is stolen

Google is rolling out a new set of features aimed at making it harder for thieves to access your data, according to Mishaal Rahman, who saw his Xiaomi 14T Pro phone come equipped with theft detection lock and off-device lock online and posted on Reddit that these features are coming in a new update in May. Some are only missing a third feature called Remote Lock.

The most exciting of the new features is Theft Detection Lock, which uses AI to lock the screen when it detects "motions typically associated with theft," like someone snatching the phone from your hand. Meanwhile, Offline Device Lock locks a device’s screen when it’s offline for a period of time, and Remote Lock lets users lock their phone using just their phone number when they can’t log in to Find My Device with their passcode. So far, I don’t see either of these features on my own Pixel 6. You can see screenshots settings for new functions in the night post from Rahman below.

Clot of theft detecting and offline locking the device are supported on any Android device that operates on Android 10 and higher, while you need at least Android 5 for remote blocking. If you don't have these features yet, try updating Google Play Services, but you'll have to wait like I did, as Google tends to release new features gradually rather than all at once.