Android 15 is now available on Pixel phones, giving Google phone owners the chance to try out all the new features and upgrades. However, there is one security feature that doesn’t seem to have made it to the stable version of Android 15, which means your phone calls are just as insecure as ever.
Security is a big focus in the new Android 15 update, with features like Theft Detection and the Private Space partition. But the new cellular security features, which were announced at Google I/O back in May, are nowhere to be found — despite appearing in a build of Android 15’s developer preview.
They were all about mobile security, with preview pages claiming that “these settings help protect your calls, messages, and data from outdated or unencrypted networks that could expose you to data theft or surveillance."
With that in mind there was an option that warned users when they were connected to unencrypted networks, and a toggle that allowed your phone to only connect to encrypted networks. And while that would limit your connectivity options, it would be a major boon to your phone’s security.
Google also announced there would be “Identifier Disclosure Transparency," which would alert at-risk users like journalists or dissidents “if a potential false cellular base station or surveillance tool is recording their location using a device identifier.”
According to Android Police, these features are still available in Android 15’s source code. Unfortunately, they’re completely disabled, with Android sleuth Mishaal Rahman speculating that their inclusion in the Android 15 beta was a mistake — and the pulled support could be down to a lack of compatible hardware.
Whether this hardware is available in Google’s Pixel 9 series isn’t clear, but it seems unlikely. While lack of hardware support from other Android phone makers is one problem, that hasn’t stopped Google adding other hardware-reliant features to its phones. Satellite connectivity is a good recent example of that, with the Pixel 9 now able to communicate via satellite in emergency and non-emergency situations.
Hopefully, the fact that these features are available as part of the Android 15 source code — even if they’re currently unusable — means that they could still make an appearance on future phones. Though how long it might take for the necessary hardware to arrive is unclear.
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