SAVE YOUR SMARTPHONE

Google, Nokia, Samsung, Motorola and HTC are among other large phone makers who have agreed to introduce a built-in anti-theft feature in their phones that will allow users to remotely wipe out all data and lock down the stolen device. This feature is expected to be introduced in all smartphones after July 2015 thanks to increasing pressure from American politicians. Also if the users do manage to reclaim their lost devices then the feature will allow them to restore data that has been wiped out.

However, as per the discussions between the companies, the proposed feature will be ‘opt-in’ which means that users will have to actively go into their phone settings and turn it on. This could mean that users who unfortunately don’t have  the knowledge about this feature will still not turn it on or may choose not to if the feature is hidden behind scores of menus and sub-menus.
Android users can currently already remotely lock and wipe data from a stolen device by turning on Android Device Manager in their phone settings. Even Apple introduced new feature “the Activation Lock” in iOS 7 that offers similar abilities. We aren’t sure how this proposed feature will differ from the existing options but if it means that the security options take center-stage due to the proposal, then we’re definitely in for it.