Mayor welcomes updates from Google to combat mobile phone theft
- New Android anti-theft features enhances security for billions of mobile phone users, with a Theft Detection Lock automatically locking the device if someone snatches it and tries to run, bike or drive away.
- It follows the Mayor and Met Commissioner’s landmark meeting with world-leading mobile phone companies and ongoing partnership work to ‘design out’ mobile phone theft.
- Android has a new comprehensive set of theft protection features designed to protect users and their data to make the phones less attractive to thieves.
- The Mayor will continue to work with the global mobile industry on further measures that could put an end to the illegal trade in stolen mobile phones.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today welcomed the introduction of new technology that will enhance security for Android phones and provide better protection for users, as part of work to ‘design out’ mobile phone crime in the capital and beyond.
The Mayor visited Google’s London offices to hear about new state-of-the-art AI technology that will make Android mobile phones less attractive to thieves and protect users and their data. The new enhanced security includes automatically locking the screen if the phone is snatched and allowing remote locking of a stolen device.
These updates are part of an ongoing partnership to ‘design out’ mobile phone robbery, and follow the Mayor and Met Commissioner’s landmark meeting with world-leading mobile phone companies at City Hall in October last year[1], where Sadiq called on them to find the most effective deterrents to combat phone theft.
New figures show that mobile phone crime is driving the rise in robberies and thefts in the capital with 33 per cent of all robberies last year involving a phone being stolen – equating to more than 11,800 offences. And 69 per cent of all thefts in London last year related to mobile phones.[2]
The Met is spearheading dedicated and targeted police work to prevent these crimes but the criminal demand for high-value mobile phones continues to grow.
Today the Mayor has praised the changes introduced by Google which will enable Android device owners to hide sensitive apps behind a separate PIN-locked area. The new update will also use AI and sensors inside a device to identify when a thief has grabbed and fled with a user’s phone, locking the screen to prevent them accessing it or any data stored on it. The new Remote Lock feature will lock a device using just the phone number should it be lost or stolen, which will help users who cannot remember their Google credentials in the moments after a theft, but still need to secure their personal data.[3]
The Mayor is urging Londoners to ensure they install the latest Android software updates available and activate these settings to ensure their device is best protected against thieves. The Mayor also continues to work alongside other phone companies, including Apple who have taken action with the new iOS 18 software update making it substantially harder for iPhones to be broken up for parts in the UK and internationally.
Sadiq will continue to work with the major phone companies to explore if all phones can be disabled following a theft, whether here in the UK or elsewhere in the world.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The theft of a mobile phone is hugely distressing and we are seeing numbers increase all around the world. While the Met are taking targeted action with patrols in London’s worst hotspots it is far too easy and profitable for criminals to repurpose and sell on expensive stolen phones.
“Last year I called on mobile companies to do what they can to ensure that their devices are not appealing to thieves, and I’m pleased that Google are introducing these important new security updates.
“We know there is much more still to be done to tackle this problem, but I am committed to continuing to work with the mobile phone industry and the Met to catch the criminals behind this appalling industry, as we build a safer London for everyone.”
Katie O'Donovan, Director of Public Policy for Google UK: “Android's new anti-theft features will give added security for billions of people, including Londoners. We were delighted to welcome the Mayor of London to Google today to demonstrate our commitment to device safety."
Annika Bizon, Director of Marketing, Omnichannel & Head of Ireland - MX Division, Samsung Electronics, said: “At Samsung, we are deeply committed to protecting the security and privacy of our Galaxy users. Working with Google we are giving users complete control over their devices, ensuring their data remains secure even when their device is not physically with them. We are striving to offer an even more secure user experience. Information about additional updates will be shared in the near future.”
Claire Waxman OBE, London’s Independent Victims’ Commissioner, said: “Mobile phone crime is an extremely traumatic experience for every victim and has a lasting impact far beyond the loss of personal possession. What’s worse is that it can really heighten victims’ fear of crime and leave them feeling vulnerable as they go about their daily lives.
“Our lives are on our phones, and they are a form of safety and comfort for people but taking someone’s device robs them of that security and leaves victims worrying about where their private data and information may end up.
“That’s why I welcome the update from Google today and the introduction of this new technology is a step in the right direction in enhancing security and protection for Android phone users and their data. It is clear though that more improvements need to be made which is why I support the Mayor’s action with the mobile industry to come up with further measures that can make stealing phones less attractive for thieves and put an end to the illegal trade in stolen mobile phones.”
Notes to editors
[1] In October last year, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and London Mayor Sadiq Khan held a meeting with tech companies including Google about phone companies doing more to help combat phone theft after a rise in incidents in the capital over the previous 12 months. https://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-and-met-commissioner-convene-landmark-meeting-world-leading-mobile-phone-companies-design-out#:~:text=The%20Mayor%20of%20London%2C%20Sadiq%20Khan%2C%20said%3A%20%E2%80%9CToday,make%20London%20safer%20for%20everyone.
[2] New figures show that mobile phone crime is driving the rise in robberies and thefts in the capital with 33 per cent of all robberies last year involving a phone being stolen – equating to more than 11,800 offences. And 69 per cent of all thefts in London last year related to mobile phones:
Source: Monthly Crime Data New Cats | Tableau Public
[3] Security updates
- Google’s new range of security features designed to combat mobile phone theft have been developed and thoroughly beta tested a full suite of features designed to protect users and mobile phone data at every stage – before, during, and after device theft.
Before: By hiding sensitive apps behind a separate PIN-locked area.
During: An AI-powered tool which can sense when a device is snatched - have begun rolling out to users. Theft Detection Lock uses artificial intelligence (AI) and sensors inside a device to identify when a thief has grabbed and fled with a user’s phone and locks the screen to prevent them accessing it or any data stored on it.
After: That feature is accompanied by a tool called Remote Lock, which enables users to remotely lock their device using just their phone number should it be lost or stolen, which Google said will help users who cannot remember their Google credentials in the moments after a theft, but still need to secure their personal data. And there is also the Office Device Lock. This feature starts its work if someone steals your phone and turns off the internet to stop tracking. For that, Google mentions two conditions – you need to be using your phone while it’s unlocked, and you can only lock the screen up to twice a day.
Apple
- Apple iOS 18 update has extended its existing Activation Lock feature to iPhone parts. This means iPhone components, such as battery, camera, display, etc, are going to be tied to your Apple ID, and thieves will have a harder time making money off of disassembling a stolen iPhone and reselling its parts.
- The feature has been designed to limit iPhone theft by blocking a lost or stolen iPhone from being reactivated. If a device under repair detects that a supported part was obtained from another device with Activation Lock or ‘Lost Mode’ enabled, calibration capabilities for that part will be restricted.
*The Metropolitan Police are determined to take proactive measures to tackle the expected increases in robberies and thefts in London. The New Met for London Plan will reinvigorate local neighbourhood policing and more officers and PCSO’s are being recruited to work in our town centres and high streets than ever before with better use of data and intelligence to effectively target hotspots of robbery and theft. There is also improved training for control centre staff to maximise opportunities to locate stolen devices and investment in new technology that can live track stolen handsets. Relentless work to pursue perpetrators and the worst offenders will also continue at pace. The Mayor has also invested £2.5m to improve the service Londoners who call the police in an emergency receive along a new £3 million annual investment package to improve the Met police’s support of victims of crime.
Look Up. Look Out
Thieves often target people who are distracted, so keeping your valuables including your mobile phone and other devices hidden ensures you’re more alert.
- When out and about - be aware of your surroundings.
- Stay alert when walking along the road for criminals who might use bikes/mopeds or e-scooters to snatch phones/valuables.
- Try not to walk along with your phone or valuables on show.
- Earbuds/headphones can be a distraction.
- Plan your route and use forms of transport that others are using and avoid shortcuts in isolated places.
Protecting your mobile phone: Register your phone with Immobilise.com to make it easier to reunite you with your phone if it were to ever get stolen or lost.
Find your IMEI number by typing *#06# into your phone keypad and it will display a 15-digit number. You can use this number to register your phone free.
If your mobile phone is stolen you must get it blocked by calling your Network Service Provider. If you need help to do this, ask your parent or guardian.