Android 16 might better protect your data with its Advanced Protection Mode
 

• Android 16 is preparing to add a new Android Advanced Protection Mode service.
• This service lets users enroll their device into Advanced Protection Mode via Settings.
• Apps can check if you’re enrolled in the service and then apply additional security measures to protect your data.

For many people, their Google account holds a ton of sensitive personal, financial, and medical information. That’s why securing your Google account with a strong password or passkey is crucial, and it’s also why you should be incredibly cautious about what apps and services you install and what permissions you grant them. If you’re particularly worried about hackers getting access to your data and want a bit of extra protection, you can go online and enroll in Google’s Advanced Protection Program, which locks down certain features in the aim of security. Next year’s Android 16 update could take Advanced Protection a bit further by letting apps deploy additional security measures when the mode is enabled.

Google announced its Advanced Protection Program back in 2017 to provide people whose Google accounts have particularly valuable data an extra layer of protection. The program is targeted at users who are at an elevated risk of getting hacked, like IT admins, journalists, activists, business executives, and politicians. If you enroll in the Advanced Protection Program, then you’re forced to use a security key or passkey to sign into your Google account, you’re prevented from downloading files that Google Chrome marks as harmful, and you’re blocked from giving unapproved (by Google) apps access to your Google account data.




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