How Google’s Find Hub could use Android 16’s Secure Lock to protect your sensitive data

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Android 16 introduces a “Secure Lock” feature that enhances the security of remotely locking a lost device.Secure Lock restricts access to notifications, Quick Settings, widgets, and the digital assistant and requires both the screen lock credential and biometrics to unlock the phone.While not yet active, we expect this feature to be integrated into Find Hub, automatically boosting the protection of its “secure device” option.If you lose your Android phone and are worried about leaking your sensitive data, you can use Google’s Find Hub service to remotely lock it down or factory reset it. A factory reset is the most secure choice since it wipes all your data, but it comes with a major downside: you can no longer track the phone. Remotely locking it, on the other hand, allows you to keep tracking it but doesn’t completely secure the device. That security gap may soon be a thing of the past, however, thanks to a new Secure Lock feature introduced in the latest Android 16 update.When you mark your device as lost or use the “secure device” option in Find Hub, the service locks it, requiring your PIN, pattern, or password to get in. It also signs you out of your Google Account, removes payment cards from Google Wallet, and can display a custom message on the lock screen.