Losing or stealing a phone is an unpleasant experience in itself. But in the case of the Pixel 7 Pro, it also exposes a fundamental weakness in Android security. Although Google has significantly strengthened the protection of user data in the event of potential theft in recent years, it still overlooks one key aspect. Namely, the ability to simply turn off the phone without entering a PIN or biometric authentication.
This is what appears to be a critical problem in attempting to locate the deviceIf the thief turns off the phone immediately, tracking via the service Find Hub ends almost immediately. Data protection works, but the chances of physically finding the device are minismallThis shortcoming is not limited to Pixels. Similar behavior also occurs in global version of phones Xiaomi and other brands.
What's even more surprising is that many Android phone manufacturers have had this situation resolved for a long time:
- Samsung
- OnePlus
- OPPO
- live
- realme
- Nothing
They all offer the option to set an option that requires input PIN before turning off the phone. The implementation varies, but the principle is the same. That is, to make it harder for thieves immediate disconnection of the device from the network and thus increase the chance of finding it. Even though it is possible the phone still has to be forcibly restarted using a combination of buttons, this is not a permanent shutdown, which is a fundamental difference.
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Google is looking for excuses
Google argues that thieves often they use shielded packaging or metal containers that will block the signal anywayHowever, this argument does not hold up in all cases and ignores the fact that every additional obstacle works in favor of the owner.
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The situation is partially improved possibility of monitoring Pixels even when turned offwhich is supported by the latest generation of devices. Pixel 7Pro but it doesn't have this feature. And this is where the "verify before turning off" option would make the most sense. In the future, it would therefore be desirable for Google to make this simple but effective protection available across a wide range of Pixels.
Losing my phone scares me and I'm glad my Samsung Galaxy requires verification before shutdown. In my opinion, Google could simply introduce a similar feature (at least entering a PIN before shutdown) to its older devices with an update. But for some reason, it doesn't want to.
