Android’s anti-theft protections will soon become less annoying thanks to your smartwatch

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Google is making its “Identity Check” anti-theft feature more convenient by integrating it with smartwatch proximity. This allows users to use their PIN or password as a fallback to biometrics, even outside a trusted location, as long as their watch is nearby. Expected to land in a future Android 16 quarterly release, the feature may only work with the Google Pixel Watch 3 and newer models. Android offers a number of optional theft protection features that help secure your personal data if a thief snatches your phone. One of those features, Identity Check, stops thieves from performing sensitive actions like accessing your saved passwords in Google Password Manager. It works by forcing biometric authentication when your device is outside of a trusted location. This ensures that even thieves who peek over your shoulder to watch you enter your PIN can’t get very far on your device. If you value your data, it’s highly recommended you turn on Identity Check. The downside to doing so, though, is the inconvenience it can cause. Every time you want to access certain settings or services, you’ll need to scan your finger or face. While this is usually faster than entering a PIN, pattern, or password, there are scenarios where that’s not the case. For example, if you’re wearing a face mask and gloves, you’ll need to take one of them off to authenticate yourself. If you find yourself in this situation regularly, you might be tempted to turn off Identity Check to save time. To prevent users from disabling this important security feature, Google has been developing a way for Identity Check to use your smartwatch as an additional layer of trust. We’ve now discovered evidence that this new, smartwatch-enhanced version of Identity Check will go live in the next quarterly release of Android 16. While digging through Android 16 QPR2 Beta 1, I discovered several new text strings for a promo card that will appear under Settings > Security & privacy. According to the text, this card will highlight how “Identity Check works with your Pixel Watch” to provide security with “greater mobility.” Tapping the “view details” button launches a screen that explains the changes in more detail: When a Pixel Watch is connected, you can “ensure your identity protection on all apps that support Fingerprint and Face Unlock” not just in trusted places, but in any location, so long as your watch is in range. With some tinkering, I managed to surface this promo in Settings, as shown in the image below. Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority This promo highlights two separate changes to Identity Check. The first is an expansion of the feature to secure more apps, which we covered in a previous article. In Android 16 QPR2, Identity Check will enforce biometric authentication for any app that uses the biometric prompt API, removing the ability to enter your screen lock credential as a fallback. This prevents thieves who know your PIN from accessing sensitive apps when you’re outside of a trusted location. The second change is smartwatch integration. When your Pixel Watch is connected to your Android device, the OS will allow you to use either your biometrics or your PIN/pattern/password to perform sensitive actions or open apps protected by Identity Check, even if your device is outside of a trusted location. This might sound like it defeats the whole purpose of Identity Check, but it’s actually a clever decision that balances convenience with security. It’s incredibly unlikely that a thief will snatch both your smartwatch and your smartphone, especially as most phone thefts are opportunistic. Your smartwatch will most likely be on your wrist when you’re outside a trusted location like your home, making it much harder to steal. Thus, if your watch is within range of your phone, it’s probably safe to assume that your phone hasn’t been stolen, no matter its current location. Although we spotted strings for this feature in Android 16 QPR2 Beta 1, its official launch date is uncertain. We suspect it will be introduced in the stable release of Android 16 QPR2 later this year. Unfortunately, when it does launch, the feature might not work with all smartwatches. A string in the “ IdentityCheckCaimito ” overlay suggests that this feature will only work with the Pixel Watch 3 or later: “If you have a connected Pixel Watch 3 or later, you can use either biometrics or your PIN If you don’t have a connected Pixel Watch, you’ll be required to use Fingerprint or Face Unlock” It’s unclear why this feature would be limited to newer Pixel Watches, especially since the existing Watch Unlock feature works with all models. It’s possible the feature relies on the UWB hardware found only in the Pixel Watch 3 and later, or it might just be a case of product differentiation. Whatever the reason, we’re looking forward to the feature’s launch to see if it successfully makes Identity Check less of a headache for some people. Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a preferred source in Google Search to support us and make sure you never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. Find out more here. Follow