Google’s offline device lock feature only works twice a day (APK teardown)

The feature works both online and offline.

Google’s offline device lock feature only works twice a day (APK teardown)
Photo of the lock screen on a Pixel phone
Credit: Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
  • We have managed to manually activate offline device lock for Android phones.
  • Google announced this feature (and other new security features) at Google I/O.
  • The theft detection feature will only lock the device twice per day.

Google announced it would roll out new theft protection features for Pixel phones during Google I/O. These features include theft detection lock, offline device lock, and remote lock. We have managed to activate some of these features in our most recent APK teardown.

If you don’t remember what these features do, theft detection lock will automatically lock your device if it senses motion commonly associated with theft. Offline device lock will lock your device if it thinks a thief is trying to disconnect your phone for a prolonged period of time. Finally, remote lock will allow you to lock your device with a different phone by typing in your phone number and answering a quick security challenge.