Android’s Anti-Theft Protection Now Backs Up to the Cloud

Android’s anti-theft protections for Android devices can now be backed up to the cloud, following an update to Google Play Services. The feature previously required manual reconfiguration after resetting a device, but the system now saves the user’s configuration state and restores these preferences automatically on reboot, enabling or disabling protections as set by the user.

Safeguards currently supported include Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock, and Remote Device Lock, with examples given of how Theft Detection Lock reacts to a thief’s sudden movement. The article notes this cloud backup capability previously did not exist, citing a change after the latest update, and highlights that Offline Device Lock can be triggered when a device remains offline for an extended period, thanks to Google’s AI.

The piece also references the update in the context of Brazil, where theft is described as widespread, and attributes information about the cloud-backup change to Android Police. 3 September 2025.