Google's upcoming Android 17 update promises to bolster security and privacy features, particularly in the areas of device theft protection, threat detection, and banking scam call prevention.
Enhanced Protections Against Banking Scam Calls
One of the key features of Android 17 is its expanded protection against scammers spoofing caller IDs to impersonate financial institutions. Android will work with banking apps to detect spoofed calls and automatically terminate the connection when a scam is identified. This feature will initially be available for the Revolut, Itaú Unibanco, and Nubank apps, with plans to make it available on Android 11 and later.
The call's authenticity verification occurs via app-level queries and by comparing the calling number to an internal set provided by the banks, and is not used for customer communication.
Device Theft Protection and Advanced Security Features
Android 17 will also introduce a "Mark as lost" feature, which allows users to lock their phone with biometric authentication, in addition to the device passcode or PIN. This means that even if a thief has the passcode or PIN, they will not be able to disable device tracking or access the device again if it is marked as lost.
Once the device is marked as lost, the Quick Settings menu will become unavailable, and WiFi and Bluetooth connections will be disabled. This feature will be available on smartphones running Android 10 or later in select markets, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
Additional Security and Privacy Enhancements
Other notable improvements in Android 17 include:
- Chrome for Android will scan downloaded APKs for known malware before installation.
- Android 17 will reduce PIN/password-guessing attempts and increase the delay between failed unlock attempts.
- Android 12+ devices will allow viewing the lock-screen IMEI for ownership verification and recovery.
- Android 17 adds temporary precise-location sharing, improved location access indicators/history, and a new contact picker for temporary access to specific contacts only.
- Android 17 introduces AISeal with pKVM for hardware-backed isolation of AI-related data processing.
- Pixel devices will initially gain verification for official Android builds, backed by a public ledger for authentic Google apps and GMS APIs.
- Android will hide SMS one-time passwords from most apps for three hours to block OTP theft.
- Carriers will be able to ship devices with 2G disabled by default in regions where legacy networks are retired.
- Android is adding post-quantum cryptography protections for future-proof security.
What this means for technologists, banking customers, and end users
Technologists and security teams will need to ensure that their apps and systems are compatible with the new features and APIs introduced in Android 17. Banking customers can expect to have an additional layer of protection against scam calls, while end users will benefit from enhanced device theft protection and improved security and privacy features.
For example, banking apps will need to integrate with Android's new call verification feature to detect and prevent scam calls. End users will also need to be aware of the new "Mark as lost" feature and how to use it to protect their devices in case of theft.
