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
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