Like I’m paranoid everytime I use my phone in public and I want to be prepared.
This also depends on the phone and which version of the operating system it runs. I think both iOS and Android have snatch detection in their latest versions, i.e. the phone can realize it’s been ripped from the hands and subsequently traveled fast away from the point of snatching. Phones are then supposed to lock so the thief doesn’t gain access.
A good security option is not to have financial apps and credit card numbers in the clear on your phone, or to have this stuff hidden behind a fingerprint scan or other ID, if the phone is unlocked or not.
If you don’t want to buy 13 guns to shoot a mugger with, as has been suggested in this thread, consider something as silly as a sturdy lanyard to anchor your phone to your person. Now you’re only interesting to the criminals who will rob you at gun/knife point. The snatchers tend to look for easy marks. In the US, a vital defense against having your phone stolen is having an Android phone to begin with.
a vital defense against having your phone stolen is having an Android phone to begin with
Sorry, but this is just a laughable claim to make. Phone thieves aren’t going to hold back and try to figure out if the small slab in your hand is an iPhone 14 or a Pixel 9, they’re just going to take it and figure out what they’ve taken after the fact.
If anything, if they were paying attention to what targets were carrying, they’d be more likely to avoid iPhones because they can’t easily strip them for parts any more.
In the US, a vital defense against having your phone stolen is having an Android phone to begin with.
🤣 So do theives just look at my android phone and be like “pfft this peasant got an android” and walk away?
I remember reading a headline somewhere that thieves returned a couple of snatched phones to the owners specifically because they were Androids.
The rest of the world has a much higher share of Android phones than the US. There was and still is stigma around being green bubble in text threads on iMessage. Apple is dominant at home. Teenagers refuse to date folks without iPhones. Etc.
If you weren’t already prepared (see other comments) then assume every credit/debit card you had saved in your Google Wallet/Apple Pay has been stolen - That’s one reason people snatch phones while unlocked and try to keep it unlocked.
Also assume any payment apps you have installed are now compromised e.g. Venmo and similar - that’s another reason people steal unlocked phones and try to keep it unlocked.
The above assumes you did not have any additional passwords/locking in the apps themselves beyond the phone’s screen unlock - I purposely
You may be able to remote lock the phone after the fact if you get to a computer or a someone you know with a phone on them to get online and initiate a remote lock.
My payment app, Google wallet, requires a fingerprint when you go to scan it. Don’t know the timeout on it, I used it back to back within a minute if it didn’t go through the first time, but at least it asks once. Only have 1 card on there anyway just so I don’t have to carry it.
Venmo opens right up, need to look into that. Everything else is email, texts, nothing critical I can think of. I also have it auto lock after a moment, mostly to conserve battery, but I guess it doubles for this purpose too.
This is why I still use a card instead of those newfangled “phone wallets”. If I go on PayPal or my bank website, I do so through my browser. (and log out when I’m done—that’s most important!)
if the “Theft protection” setting is enabled, Android will lock if it detects such movement. If set up for it, the phone can be locked and erased remotely. Not sure which versions.
Theft Detection Lock uses AI, your device’s motion sensors, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth to detect if someone unexpectedly takes your device and runs away. If Theft Detection Lock detects your device is taken from you, it automatically locks your device’s screen to protect its content. For example, if someone grabs the phone out of your hand and they run, bike, or drive away, the Theft Detection Lock may activate.
https://support.google.com/android/answer/15146908
I presume it waits for an abrupt spike in the accelerometer followed by going out of range of nearby Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth connections. I am curious how well it works, and how often false positives occur.
I am also disappointed that it seems GrapheneOS does not offer a similar feature.
Thanks for this, I had no idea this was added! Gonna tweak my settings now.
You can also pair it to a bluetooth device and use Macrodroid, Automate or Tasker to remote lock it and/or lock if the device is disconnected.
- Sweep the leg
- ??
- retrieve cell phone
- lock cell phone
- escape on nearby e scooter
For most of us, 2 comes before 1 unless you mean my own leg. But seriously, I like the list 🙂
- Profit?
Well that depends which country you’re in. If you’re in America, you take out one of your 13 guns that are just on your person for no reason, and shoot them as they run. Then shoot out any witnesses.
If you’re in France, you don’t worry about it too much. Your cell phone was actually a croissant. You go buy another croissant.
If you’re in Canada, the robber would come running back and appologize. Then you appologize to him for having such a tempting phone. Then you both go get Tim Hortons.
Using a gun to protect property usually lands you in jail on felony charges. That’s why you gotta shout “he’s coming right for us!” before you drop the thief.
Well that depends which country you’re in. If you’re in America, you take out one of your 13 guns that are just on your person for no reason, and shoot them as they run. Then shoot out any witnesses.
🤣 Bruh I ain’t the president and I ain’t a conservative rich white man, so that aint an option. (also, I don’t want to kill people, its funnier if the theif goes home to find the phone locked and activation/FRP lock is active, so they essentially stole a brick, way funnier than just doing homicide)
you take out one of your 13 guns that are just on your person for no reason
My man just had his phone stolen and you think there’s not a reason for 13 guns? He needs at least 20, if anything!
A real American only needs 1. And maybe a bullet. Also healthcare. And financial security. And maybe affordable housing, reasonable education, walkable cities, maybe even basic morality. Food might be cool I guess…
Now that I think about it… Guns make sense here… I might not have access to any of these other things but guns are def there.
Fuck I hate this place.
maybe get a lanyard to reduce the snatch risk.
If you have an apple device, I believe you can lock the phone remotely via the “find my” app on another device or through Apple’s website. Not sure about Android.
Android has theft detection and auto locks and then allows you to remotely wipe it.
Does Apple not have this feature?
Tbf, the theft detection thing is new, and I’m not sure its really that reliable and I don’t want to rely on that. I already have it randomly trigger what I wasn’t even moving much, imagine if it doesn’t trigger when its supposed to. I wanted something more absolute something more concreate, not a vague “google thinks your phone might be stolen” type of thing that haven’t even been out for a year, I view this feature as in a testing “beta” phase, there’s literally not much documentation on how it triggers.
I mean the only real solution here is to not use your phone in a situation where it could be stolen. Ear buds combined with Google or Siri or whatever can basically do almost everything you might “need” to do with a phone without ever removing it from a pocket, purse, what have you. Aside from that a phone can be remotely wiped easily enough. That combined with solid password security practices such as not saving your passwords, or simple pin numbers or pattern unlock will easily give you enough time to ensure your privacy remains intact and the only real loss is the cost of replacement.
Just curious, what situations are envisioning that a “theft proof” device is something that is absolutely necessary? Using complex passwords and such should be enough honestly. Insurance on phones is cheap and covers theft.
