Having your phone stolen in Mzansi is more of a ‘when’ scenario than an ‘if’. The country’s crime problems were on full display in the White House earlier this year. Unfortunately.
An average of 189 mobiles are stolen every day in South Africa, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS). “Police data suggests that only 29% of these were blacklisted with service providers,” wrote the Institute for Security Studies, of the 412,998 mobiles were reported stolen between April 2017 and March 2023.
Taking on Samsung
Smartphone makers clearly know this, and Samsung has released a range of new anti-theft features under the ‘Theft Protection’ banner, which it says should slow down would-be thieves and give users plenty of time to wipe their Samsung devices remotely.
“South Africa continues to grapple with high mobile phone theft rates, especially in urban areas like Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town,” Samsung said in a statement. “Whether it’s phones being snatched from hands at traffic lights, lifted at taxi ranks, or stolen in the dark or load-shedding-induced house robberies, Galaxy users now have new ways to protect their personal data.”
“These updates form part of Samsung’s ongoing commitment to smarter, tougher mobile security, giving users more control over their data, even in high-risk situations like smash-and-grabs or pickpocketing in busy taxi ranks, bus stops/stations, and other public areas.”
Samsung’s newest theft-prevention features, part of the latest One UI 7 update, include what it calls theft detection lock, using machine learning tools to detect motions associated with theft – such as snatching – and will automatically shut and lock the screen, preventing the thief from accessing any sensitive data, like your banking details or something similar.
Read More: Google rolls out extra security for your Android smartphone
The remote lock feature lets you remotely lock an already stolen phone. Users can lock it remotely using their phone number and a quick verification step. Or, if that isn’t an option, they can sign into Samsung Find using their Samsung account, selecting their device on the left side of the screen, and choosing ‘Lost Mode’. Follow the steps, and you’ll remotely lock the device, and even create a way to get back in should the device be recovered.
A new anti-robbery measure, called Identity Check, requires biometric authentication for any changes to sensitive security settings when the device finds itself in any ‘unfamiliar locations’, whether in your possession or not, adding another layer of protection when a PIN may have been compromised. It’s a smart idea.
The security delay feature triggers a one-hour waiting period if someone attempts to reset biometric data when users find themselves in unfamiliar locations. “This crucial buffer gives users time to lock the stolen phone from a connected device, such as a PC or tablet, before unauthorised access can occur,” says Samsung.
