Android 16 will shield customers from faux cell towers and potential spying threats

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

Nevertheless, these options possible will not be accessible till the following era of Android gadgets, as first reported by Android Authority. Because the present Android gadgets lack the {hardware} to assist these options, the primary suitable Android system we may see with this tech will be the Pixel 10 that is anticipated to debut later this summer time.

This function is designed to counteract cell web site simulators, or gadgets that act like a cell tower and trick close by gadgets into connecting to it. As soon as related, these simulators can glean delicate info, like the placement of a smartphone. These cell web site simulators are higher identified 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 security measures are rolling out as a part of the latest Android OS update, which was launched earlier this month. Appropriate gadgets can have the choice to toggle “community notifications” on or off, which can warn you in case your system connects to an unencrypted community or when the related community requests your cellphone’s distinctive identifiers. On high of that, there’s an alternative choice that permits you to activate “2G community safety” to keep away from the much less safe cellular community sort.