2 Intelligent Android 16 ways ensure your safety – but you have to activate them

Google published Android 16 a little earlier than expected, and although there is a lack of crucial features, there are key additions to the platform that greatly contribute to improving safety.

It was a significant step forward, because the need for better safety increases each year. Without businesses like Google, Apple and others increasing safety, the mobile space would end up the Far West of the technological landscape, with wells that do not arise everywhere, flying at will.

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Well, Google took a fairly big step forward with Android 16 in the form of two key features, which I will explain here.

1. Identity verification

This feature was actually added in 2024, but it was only when released by Android 16 that it started to receive a lot of attention. What is identity control?

Let’s say that you are far from your home (which you have designated as a confidence location; more about it a little). While you have left, someone has access to your phone and will make changes to critical security settings or try to access the recorded passwords or other sensitive information. Because the phone is far from your confidence location, when this person tries to make these modifications, biometric authentication will prevent them from accessing these features or data.

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Here is the problem of identity: it is not easy to find. The best way to locate the function is to open the parameter application and seek “identity verification”. Once on the identity verification page, you can activate the function (it must be activated by default) and add a confidence location. Once you have added a confidence location, the biometrics will not be required for this particular place.

Personally, I chose not to add a trusted place to make sure I get the best side of the security of my Pixel 9 Pro. Of course, it depends on you. Since I go through the mantra “Better than more sorry”, I will take you from any possibility of bypassing security.

2. Advanced protection

This new addition to Android brings together several solid security measures to protect themselves from spy software, malware, unsecured connections and online threats.

When you activate advanced protection (it is activated by default), the following guarantees are activated:

• Safety of devices (protects against lost, stolen or confiscated phones)
• Applications (protects against memory bugs and malicious applications)
• Networks (prevents insecure connections)
• Web (protect against dangerous websites)
• Google phone (protects against spam calls)
• Google messages (protects against spam and scams)

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All the above protection occurs by simply allowing advanced protection. You press the ON / OFF cursor until it is in the ON position, and your Android phone is protected.

One more thing: the protection of the accounts

However, there is still one thing you can do. On the same advanced protection page, you will see an input entitled “Account protection”. If you press this (then authenticate), you can allow advanced protection for your Google account to protect yourself from targeted online attacks. Once on the resulting page, press “Register for advanced protection”.

And that’s it. Once you have activated these features (and register your Google account in advanced protection), your information and your phone will be better protected against damage.

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I would strongly recommend using these two features as soon as your phone is upgraded to Android 16.

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