Google tools to combat mobile phone theft start rolling out to users

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Google’s new range of security features designed to combat mobile phone theft – including an AI-powered tool which can sense when a device is snatched – have begun rolling out to users. With our phones becoming increasingly central to storing sensitive data, like payment information and personal details, losing one can be an unsettling experience Google blog post At the time, the company said they were being introduced in response to ongoing concerns around rising levels of mobile phone theft, as well as feedback from its own staff and users in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and in London. In October last year, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and London Mayor Sadiq Khan held a meeting with tech companies including Google about phone companies doing more to help combat phone theft after a rise in incidents in the capital over the previous 12 months. “Phone theft is a widespread concern in many countries – 97 phones are robbed or stolen every hour in Brazil, and a phone is reported stolen every six minutes in London alone,” Google said in a blog post about the new tools.