All change for Android

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The threat landscape is evolving, Google warns, confirming a raft of new Android changes to bring “AI-powered protections and advanced safeguards” to phones. This is the most comprehensive security offer that has ever come to Android.

In a May 12 announcement, the company set out in detail what users can expect through 2026. The main upgrades require Android 17, coming “initially to Pixel.” Owners of Samsungs and other phones will have to wait much longer.

Not all the security upgrades need a new OS. A defense against banking scams, co-opting banks into verifying their phone numbers to isolate scammers is coming to Android 11 and newer. But this only works with participating banks. “Spoofed calls,” Google says, “are one of the drivers of social engineering scams and financial fraud, which cause an estimated $980M in annual losses worldwide.”

But Android 17 is the centrepiece. New upgrades include enhancements to Live Threat Detection “to warn you about apps that start doing things like changing or hiding their icon and then launching from the background or abusing accessibility permissions." Android will also respond faster to “new and emerging threat behaviors.” This comes with Android 17 “in the second half of the year.”

Google will also uplift protections in Chrome against dangerous APKs. “If you have Safe Browsing turned on and want to download an app, we’ll evaluate the APK for known malware and stop you before you download it.”

And even more critically, “with Android 17 we’re expanding our core advanced protections by removing access to the accessibility service from all apps that are not labeled as accessibility tools.” The abuse of powerful, system-level accessibility services is the most dangerous permission threat across Android.

Similarly, Android 17 brings new data protection defenses for stolen phones, “enabled by default on all new Android 17 devices.” Once active, Google says, “features like Remote Lock and Theft Detection Lock will be automatically enabled, providing immediate protection if your device is snatched or stolen.”

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There are also protections against precise location sharing, with a new temporary sharing option to enable a transaction or specific task, rather than enabling an app for an unlimited length of time. “This update offers a significant privacy win that eliminates unnecessary tracking while keeping you in total control.”

Android 17 also brings new protections against fraudulent OS variants, ensuring that all firmware is signed to a genuine root of trust. There are also additional network settings to combat SMS passcode sharing and vulnerable 2G connectivity.

All told, this is an acceleration of a theme from the last 18 months, as Android rapidly catches iPhone on multiple security and privacy fronts. It’s no exaggeration to say that Android 17 changes the game. It can’t come soon enough.