Google is silently rolling out a new feature for some Android users that allow the phone to lock itself when it senses that it’s no longer near its owner. The feature, called “On-body detection,” can be turned on from the Smart Lock section of Security settings. Once switched on, the device will stay unlocked as long as it detects that it’s being held or carried in a pocket, handbag, or the like. When the phone is set down (movement is no longer the detected) it locks up, so the next time you pick it up you’ll need to enter your PIN, password, or pattern.
The new feature is only available to Lollipop users, though you don’t have to be on a stock ROM in order to get it. However, activating it does seem to require the latest Google Play Services version, 7.0.97.
Like Trusted Places, Trusted Devices and Trusted Face, the feature is designed to give Android devices yet another signal that they can remain unsecured. For Apple, a key convenience addition came to the iPhone (and iPad, later) thanks to Touch ID, which allows unlock via a simple long touch with the thumb on the home button. This greatly enhanced device security overall largely because it encouraged people who weren’t using a PIN to set one up, since it lowered the friction required for the unlock process immensely.
Of course, the feature won’t be able to determine if you or someone else is carrying your phone — it merely uses the device’s accelerometer to determine if it is being continually moved. So if you give your phone to a friend or are the victim of a pickpocket, the phone will most likely remain unlocked. Nevertheless, the security option, which should be rolling out to Nexus devices and other Android phones soon through an update to Google Play Services, could be appealing to some users.
