Android 16 will defend customers from pretend cell towers and potential spying threats

It seems that your smartphone may very well be an neglected vulnerability that places you susceptible to being tracked. To fight this, Google is rolling out a brand new safety characteristic in Android 16 that can warn customers if their gadget is utilizing a pretend or insecure cellular community or if that community requests figuring out details about a related gadget.

Nevertheless, these options probably will not be out there till the following technology of Android units, as first reported by Android Authority. Because the present Android units lack the {hardware} to assist these options, the primary appropriate Android gadget we may see with this tech stands out as the Pixel 10 that is anticipated to debut later this summer season.

This characteristic is designed to counteract cell web site simulators, or units that act like a cell tower and trick close by units into connecting to it. As soon as related, these simulators can glean delicate info, like the situation of a smartphone. These cell web site simulators are higher recognized by their business nickname, Stingray, and have been reportedly used by businesses like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in addition to Customs and Border Safety.

The upcoming safety features are rolling out as a part of the latest Android OS update, which was launched earlier this month. Appropriate units could have the choice to toggle “community notifications” on or off, which is able to warn you in case your gadget connects to an unencrypted community or when the related community requests your telephone’s distinctive identifiers. On prime of that, there’s another choice that permits you to activate “2G community safety” to keep away from the much less safe cellular community sort.