Google’s mission to narrow the security and privacy gap to iPhone has just taken a huge step, with confirmation that Advanced Protection Mode will arrive with Android 16. While this “provides Google’s strongest protections against targeted attacks,” and is seemingly targeted at “users who need heightened security,” the reality is that it turns Android into a device that closely resembles the locked down nature of an iPhone.
This one click setting will enable the latest set of theft, fraud and scam defenses within calls and messages, disable higher risk networks, and mandate safe browsing and Play Protect. It also adds the well-publicized inactivity reboot and a USB data cable block aimed at the plague of recent forensic exploits. But the headline act will be to disable sideloading without an option to opt-out. That remains Android’s Achilles heel.
Some of these settings move beyond iPhone, albeit the browsing and app restrictions lock down a device against the most likely threats a user will face. While Apple’s own Lockdown Mode is genuinely extreme, Google’s Advanced Protection Mode is more sensible and is well-advised for many Android users to tighten their security.
Android will move ahead of iPhone with Intrusion Detection, a new feature Apple should replicate. “This industry-first feature,” Google explains, “securely backs up device logs in a privacy-preserving and tamper-resistant way, accessible only to the user. These logs enable a forensic analysis if a device compromise is ever suspected.”
Google is also making it easier for sensitive apps — finance, enterprise, comms — to lockdown according to user preferences and device characteristics. “Advanced Protection acts as a single control point that enables important security settings across many of your favorite Google apps… Advanced Protection will also incorporate third-party applications that choose to integrate in the future.”
This is in addition to the newly updated Play Integrity API which draws a line between the no longer supported Android 12 and newer versions of the OS, restricting app behavior for the 50% of Android users running outdated versions of the OS.
“With the release of Android 16,” Google says, “users who choose to activate Advanced Protection will gain immediate access to a core suite of enhanced security features. Additional Advanced Protection features like Intrusion Logging, USB protection, the option to disable auto-reconnect to insecure networks, and integration with Scam Detection for Phone by Google will become available later this year.”
