Adapted by:
Ricardo Aguilar
WriterMobile tech writer and analyst. I studied Psychology, but I've been working in the consumer tech field for the last 10 years. Interested in motor projects and new forms of mobility.
Alba Mora
WriterAn established tech journalist, I entered the world of consumer tech by chance in 2018. In my writing and translating career, I've also covered a diverse range of topics, including entertainment, travel, science, and the economy.
On Tuesday, Google officially announced several changes coming with Android 16. One of the standout features will be the introduction of Material 3 Expressive, a new design language set to roll out in 2025.
In addition to updates to the interface, the company is placing a strong emphasis on enhancing security and privacy. Google will introduce a variety of new features in the coming months.
Protection against scam texts. Many users have likely received texts pretending to be from broadband providers or parcel delivery companies. With Android 16, Google Messages will improve its scam detection capabilities, providing real-time warnings about potential fraud.
Within the Messages app, the system will alert users if it detects a potential scam text to combat identity theft, cryptocurrency scams, and fraudulent invoicing. This analysis will be conducted entirely on the device, meaning that none of the texts will be processed in the cloud.
Protection against scam calls. While Google has been effectively filtering suspicious spam calls for years, this is sometimes not enough to fully safeguard users.
With Android 16, certain actions will be restricted during calls to prevent fraudsters from persuading users to make harmful changes. Examples include altering security settings and modifying system features.
In other words, Android will provide protection not only against spam but also against various scams that are increasingly common across digital channels.
Key Verifier. Google is also introducing Key Verifier with Android 16. This feature is designed to combat identity theft and fraud. It’ll allow users to verify the identity of the people they communicate with through public encryption keys.
Using a QR code, you can confirm that a contact is verified in the Google Messages app, as their keys must match the ones assigned to them. This provides an effective solution to the common issue of SIM swapping, where someone’s identity is impersonated by taking over their phone number.
Notably, this feature isn’t tied to Android 16. It’ll be available in the summer for all devices running Android 10 or newer.
Anti-theft protection. Google recently introduced some interesting anti-theft features and is now looking to enhance them further. The company is strengthening security measures for actions such as factory resetting a device. Simply knowing the phone’s password will no longer be enough. Users will also have the option to add an extra layer of security by answering a security question.
This added protection will similarly extend to remotely blocking devices, reducing the risk of an attacker making changes to your phone if they have gained access to any of your passwords.
Find Hub. Google has evolved its Find My Device service into Find Hub, the next step in tracking your devices.
With Find Hub, users will have a more unified way to locate not only their devices but also the contacts they add to their network. They’ll also be able to locate items that have tracking devices such as Tile and Moto Tag.
Advanced Protection. To enhance security, Google has expanded the Advanced Protection feature. This function informs apps when it’s active, discouraging them from accessing your personal information.
While this feature is active, anti-theft functions, memory optimizations, and apps designed to prevent bugs and errors that could be exploited are always operational. It also offers network connection protection to safeguard against insecure websites, as well as messaging and scam defense options.
Image | Indra Projects
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