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Android’s New Safety Lock: Keeping your private info safe

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Android 16

Everyone has a lot of private details on their phones these days, which makes them easy targets for thieves. If someone steals your phone when it’s unlocked, you can lock it from afar to keep your apps safe. But, if a thief watches you type in your lock screen code before taking your phone, just locking it remotely won’t stop them from getting in again. Google is working on a fix for this problem, and they might add a new feature called Safety Lock in the Android 16 update to make it tougher for thieves to get to your private info.

If a thief sees you put in your phone’s lock code before they steal it, you can’t stop them from unlocking your phone, even if you use fingerprint or face recognition. Android doesn’t mainly use biometrics for unlocking because they aren’t as secure as entering a code, PIN, or pattern. Biometrics can be tricked, even though it’s not very likely, so they are just a backup. But if someone knows your main lock code, this security setup doesn’t work well.

Google tried to solve this with a feature named Identity Check in the first Android 15 update. With Identity Check on, your phone needs biometric confirmation before you can change important settings when you’re not in a safe place. This means a thief with your lock code can’t change account settings or see saved passwords. But this doesn’t completely block access to all your private data, as things like app alerts, widgets, or voice assistants might still give away info.

This is where the new Safety Lock feature steps in. It’s being developed by Google to boost security by adding a mode you can turn on from anywhere. To unlock your phone in this mode, you’ll need both your lock code and biometric verification. It also limits things like app notifications, widgets, quick settings, and the voice assistant to keep your data secure.

Since Google hasn’t told us much about Safety Lock yet, I’ve done some digging. I found a new permission in Android 16 named MANAGE_SAFETY_LOCK_DEVICE, probably meant for Google Play Services, which runs Find My Device. It seems you might be able to activate Safety Lock remotely via the Find My Device site. While I haven’t proven this yet, it’s a good guess I’ll keep checking into.

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Android

Android might soon alert you when your time zone changes

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Android 16

Traveling with an Android phone can be confusing when it comes to keeping track of time, especially on long trips. Your device automatically adjusts to different time zones, which is handy but can sometimes leave you unsure about the actual time. Imagine being on an airplane, where the time might switch several times due to the flight’s Wi-Fi, making it difficult to know how long you’ve been in the air.

To solve this, Google seems to be working on a new feature for Android. According to Android Authority, who took a peek at the Android 16 Beta 1, there’s a new setting in the works. This setting would allow you to get a notification every time your device changes its time zone automatically.

You’ll find this new option under the “Settings” menu, specifically in “System” and then “Date & time.” By turning this on, you’d get a little alert on your phone saying, “Hey, you’ve just entered a new time zone!” This would help you keep better track of time without any surprises.

There isn’t a confirmed release date yet for this feature, but it looks like it might make its way into Android 16. This update could make traveling a bit less confusing when it comes to managing your schedule across different parts of the world.

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Android

Android 16 might alert you when your time zone shifts

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Android 16

One of the key roles of your smartphone is to keep track of time, and they do this job pretty well. By using information from your phone’s network, Wi-Fi, or GPS, your device can automatically adjust its time when you move to a different time zone. However, sometimes you might want to know right away when this happens, which is why Google is working on a new alert feature for Android 16.

While exploring the first beta version of Android 16, I stumbled upon some lines of code for a new “time zone change” option in the settings under System > Date & time. This feature is designed to notify you when your phone’s time zone gets updated automatically.

I managed to activate this setting in the beta. Here’s what it looks like:
I couldn’t show you the actual notification since I haven’t traveled out of my current time zone, but I know what it will look like. The notification will simply state that “your time zone changed” followed by details of your new time zone.

This is a simple yet useful addition because knowing when and how your time zone has changed can help you schedule meetings or make plans. It also saves you from having to check the settings manually when you need to adjust the time for apps like Outlook.

Handling time zones is not easy, but thanks to Google Play System Updates, Android phones can quickly adapt to new time zone data from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). With the various ways Android devices locate themselves, they are among the best for keeping the right time.

Though I found this feature in the Android 16 Beta 1, it’s not certain if it will make it into the final version. Features can appear in early builds but not in the official release. Given that Android 16 is expected to roll out in the second quarter of this year, we’ll know soon if this time zone notification feature will be part of it.

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Android

New Feature: See through Live Captions on Android

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Google

Since the introduction of Expressive Captions last December, Android’s Live Caption feature now includes an option to adjust the background transparency on Pixel devices.

Before this update, captions appeared on a solid light or dark gray background, which could sometimes block parts of the screen. Now, with the new transparency setting, you can see what’s happening behind the captions. This makes the captions less intrusive and more user-friendly, allowing you to keep them on all the time if you wish. Some users even prefer having no background at all, just the text floating over the video.

How to Use Background Transparency

To turn on this feature, simply tap on the Live Caption panel to bring up the options menu. Look for the three dots on the right side, tap on them, and go to “Customization.” There, you’ll see the “Background transparency” switch alongside other settings like “Translate captions” and “Live Caption.”

This update was noticed today with the release of version V.16 of Android System Intelligence for Pixel devices. Check the Google Play Store to see if an update is available for your device. However, this feature isn’t available yet for Android 14 on non-Google devices.

This follows the earlier update in December that brought Expressive Captions to life, adding more emotion through uppercase letters for emphasis, sounds like sighs or gasps, and background noises like applause. This is currently available for US English on Android 14 and newer versions.

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