Hackers and scammers will be kept at bay! Enable the 'Advanced Protection' security feature on your Android phone..

Google began rolling out the first stable version of the Android 16 update in June of last year. While this update introduced several design changes for smartphones and tablets, it also brought a major security feature for Android devices called 'Advanced Protection.' The tech giant introduced this safety feature as part of its Advanced Protection Program. The goal of Advanced Protection is to safeguard your device by automatically identifying and blocking dangerous websites, scam calls, cyberattacks, and other harmful digital activities. Google also provides users with the ability to enable and disable Advanced Protection, giving you greater control over your device.

If you are wondering how to enable or disable Advanced Device Protection on your smartphone running Android 16, we have prepared a step-by-step guide to assist you.

What is Advanced Protection on your Android phone?
Introduced in June 2025, Advanced Device Protection serves as a single control point for security settings across apps such as Google Chrome, Messages, and Phone. This feature is capable of automatically identifying and blocking dangerous websites that have previously been reported for suspicious activity; it also displays alerts regarding harmful links associated with these websites. Such websites have long been known to steal personal data without your knowledge or permission.

Similarly, it can block suspicious incoming calls and alert users about them. It is claimed that this will help curb the growing problem of fraudulent and scam calls, including digital arrest and phishing scams. Within Google Messages, the scam and spam protection feature identifies unwanted and potentially harmful messages, helping you avoid them. Furthermore, phones with Advanced Protection enabled will not connect to 2G cellular networks, as they are considered less secure. How to Enable Advanced Protection on Your Android Phone?
To enable Advanced Protection on your Android phone, open the Settings app on your device.

Then, open the Security & Privacy settings menu.
Tap on the Advanced Protection button located under the "Other settings" menu.
Alternatively, you can also enable this via Google Settings by tapping the "All services" button within the Google app, and then clicking on the Advanced Protection button found under the "Personal and device safety" menu.

Next, click on the Device protection button within the Advanced Protection menu.
Now, you will need to select "Turn on."
At this stage, your Android phone may prompt you to restart the device.
How to Turn Off Advanced Protection on Your Android Phone?
Before disabling Advanced Protection, please note that your Android phone may ask you to restart the device to revert certain settings to their previous state.

To turn off Advanced Protection on your Android phone, open the Settings app on your phone.
Then, open the Advanced Protection page.
Within the Settings app, navigate to the Security & Privacy menu > and tap on the Advanced Protection button located under the "Other settings" menu.
Alternatively, open the Google app, tap on the "All services" button, and then click on the Advanced Protection button found under the "Personal and device safety" menu.
Next, navigate to the Advanced Protection section and turn off Device protection.
You will now be required to provide biometric authentication or enter your phone's security PIN.
Your device may reboot at this point to complete the process.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Dainik Jagran. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.