Android 16: Strong privacy arrangements in Android 16, the risk of scams will be reduced..

Smartphones are not just for making calls or sending messages, but they have become a treasure trove of very important information related to our lives. Like bank details, personal photos, a copy of Aadhaar or PAN, password, etc., everything is saved in it. In such a situation, if there is even a slight lapse in the security of your phone, then hackers can take advantage of this.

One of the biggest threats among these is the Stingray Attack. This is a cyber attack in which the hacker creates a fake mobile tower, and your phone connects to that tower without knowing. After this, your call, message, and identity-related information can be stolen. Now, a special feature is being introduced in Android 16 to protect against this threat.

What is the new security feature in Android 16?

Google has launched a new page called Mobile Network Security in Android 16, which comes under the Safety Center. You will be able to see this page in Security & Privacy by going to the Settings of your phone.

It includes two special options.

Network notification: If you turn on this setting, the phone will send you an alert. When your network changes from encrypted (safe) to unencrypted (unsafe). A network asks for information related to your phone's identity, such as IMEI.

This option is off by default, but if you activate it, you will get clear notifications.

2G Network Safety

This option gives you the option to completely turn off the 2G network. Because 2G networks are considered the most unsafe in today's time, Stingray attacks happen most easily on them. This setting is also off by default, but by starting it, you can give yourself better safety.

Which phones will get this feature?

This feature will only work in those phones in which Android 16 is already built-in. Also, it is necessary to have Android's Radio HAL 3.0 driver in the phone. Whether this feature will be available in old phones that have received the Android 16 update later or not, its update has not been revealed yet. At present, this feature is not visible in Google Pixel phones as well.

Will this feature be available in every phone?

Google has clarified that every smartphone company decides for itself which features it will provide in its phone. Therefore, it is possible that some mobile brands may not provide this safety feature in their devices.

Google has tried before as well.

In Android 15, Google gave this feature that whenever a network ask for the identification number of the phone, the user gets an alert. In Android 12, the option to completely turn off the 2G network was added.

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