With Android 15, Google is bringing a lot of anti-theft features to the platform to protect users against smartphone theft. All these features appear in the 'Theft Protection' section, and Google recently added a new feature called 'Identity Check' to it. With Identity Check, your device will require biometric authentication before it lets anyone access sensitive settings when it is outside a trusted location. It's similar to Stolen Device Protection that Apple introduced in iOS 17.

What is Identity Check? Identity Check is a security feature that essentially locks critical device and account settings when your Android device is not present in a trusted location. If anyone wants to access such settings in such a location, they will first have to authenticate themselves using a fingerprint, facial recognition, or other biometric options available on the device. Settings that Identity Theft can block access to include adding a Google account, turning off 'Find My Device', adding a new fingerprint, changing the screen lock, performing a factory reset, etc.

By preventing anyone from accessing these settings when outside a trusted location without biometric authentication, Android can ensure your device isn't reset or other settings are not changed. Identity Check also turns on additional security on eligible Samsung devices and 'enhanced protection' for Google Accounts. Initially, it will be available on Pixel devices running Android 15 and Samsung Galaxy devices running One UI 3.7. It will roll out to other supported devices running Android 15 later this year. To enable Identity Check on your phone,

  1. Open the Settings app on your Pixel or Samsung phone.
  2. Then go to Google and tap on 'All services'.
  3. Tap on 'Theft Protection' and toggle on the 'Identity Check' feature.
Enabling Identity Check. Source: Google

Things to know

  • Once you enable Identity Check, you can set one or more locations as trusted locations. When you move outside those locations, you will need to authenticate yourself using the biometric options available on your device before you can access critical settings.
  • The feature will work even if someone knows your device passcode since the device will still require biometric verification before it allows access to sensitive settings outside trusted locations.
  • Identity Check will work in conjunction with other Theft Protection features, like Theft Detection Lock and Offline Device Lock to protect Android devices. These can help keep your data safe even after someone steals your device by blocking access to certain settings and preventing it from being used by anyone else.
  • The feature is eventually expected to be available on devices running Android 15 but there is no word on when that will happen. Right now, Google hasn't mentioned anything about whether it will make Identity Check available on devices running Android 14 and older, but the company is known for bringing features to its older operating systems.