Android 16 has its own anti-theft feature Identity Check
Google’s anti-theft security feature Identity Check arrived on Pixel smartphones with the Pixel Feature Drop in December 2024. Samsung already integrated it into One UI 7 based on Android 15. But for every other Android device out there, this will only appear as part of the Android 16 update.
Once activated, Identity Check asks for your biometric data before you change important security settings or access saved passwords and other sensitive data. Crucially, the biometric prompt for identity verification explicitly doesn’t allow you to use your PIN or password. You must use biometric data.
The idea, of course, is that if a thief gets hold of your device, it will prevent them from accessing your critical security information unless they also force you to provide your biometric authentication, such as your fingerprint. In that case, we’re no longer talking about theft, but at the very least, kidnapping, and you’re in bigger trouble.
Because Identity Check had to rewrite the biometric authentication code, meaning it doesn’t offer the usual PIN or password fallback functionality, it can only be available as part of an Android update. Samsung quickly integrated it into One UI 7, and other OEMs will hopefully include it in their Android 16 updates as well.
