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There are far fewer choices between Android and iPhone than there used to be. And while Google seems to be more of a follower than a leader, it has managed to beat Apple at its own game with an amazing new update that just rolled out for Android. .
Android dialed up security to 11
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Android and iPhone are getting closer and closer together, and in recent weeks we’ve seen previews of iPhone features that Google has started making available to Android, including encrypted WhatsApp calls in your phone dialer list and satellite SOS messaging. I’m here.
But it seems Apple is moving the iPhone in the direction of Android, especially with the unexpected news that the iPhone may use Gemini and Baidu’s generative AI instead of Apple’s own for the chatbot feature expected in iOS 18. I have also seen it proceed to .
But nothing could prepare you for what Google revealed in its latest Android 15 developer release. In a surprise move that’s more iPhone than iPhone, it looks like Android may be taking privacy to the next level, allowing new devices to hide their location, even from the network.
More notably, Google also previewed features that protect devices from IMSI grabbers and platform interception. These are technologies used by law enforcement and, in some cases, criminals to obtain phone IDs and trick those phones into connecting to copycat networks, allowing them to intercept calls and messages.
Android has played in this space before, but not this time. Dating back to Android 12, and especially Android 14, devices were able to block low-level cellular features that would drop a phone from encrypted to insecure communication. This makes interception much more difficult to perform, but the functionality is buried and hard to find. What we are about to see is this level of privacy becoming mainstream.
The problem is that both of these updates require a new interface between the radio modem and the phone’s OS, since IMSI grabbing and interception is done on the radio side, not the OS side. The modem must be able to run a software interface. This means a new modem. In addition to updating to Android 15, you’ll probably need to upgrade your hardware. Google’s phones are likely to be the first to feature this, with other phones likely to follow.
Mishal Rahman, who discovered the update, said Glover and Intercept are “popular among law enforcement because they can covertly collect data from criminal suspects, but they also allow malicious state actors to spy on journalists.” “They are also used for … they put personal privacy at risk.” There are few safeguards against them, which increases the risk. That’s why Google is working on updates to Android that prevent devices from sending text and voice data over outdated or unencrypted protocols. ”
Devices with modems that support the new technology layer will display a warning to users if their device ID is captured by the network or if they are connected to an insecure network without the expected level of encryption . This means a potential eavesdropping where your device gets knocked out from your regular carrier to a powerful, less secure local wireless network that mimics your cell phone carrier. All traffic is then routed through the fake network and either captured as a backhaul to the real network or blocked.
Location information on the network is different. Most location data we discuss regarding phones is device-centric. Cell phones use GPS and other technologies to determine your location. This can be shared with apps and friends, and we’ve seen multiple privacy updates specifically restricting apps from accessing this feature in secret.
Telephone networks can also ping a device to request its exact location. This feature may be disconnected unless there is an emergency, such as calling 911 or sending an emergency text message.
Rahman explained that Android has already followed the lead of the iPhone in placing stricter restrictions on apps’ access to location data, but that “carriers (cellular networks) cannot access location data. There’s little the OS can do to prevent it. However, Android 15 may add ways to the OS to prevent your location data from being sent to your carrier.”
This doesn’t stop carriers from using old-fashioned cell tower triangulation. You can pinpoint the location of a phone connected to your network by pinging multiple towers at the same time and using their location and connection strength to derive a wide range of locations. It’s not as precise as the GPS we’re used to, but it does allow the phone (and its user) to be in a specific location at a specific time.
This is an exciting feature for Android users. We are now taking on new levels of privacy and location masking and addressing some of the continuing device vulnerabilities on the wireless side. And while this will be welcomed by privacy advocates, law enforcement will no doubt consider what this means and how such defenses can be circumvented if necessary. I anticipate that emergency overrides may be invoked by law enforcement under certain circumstances.
Contact your modem OEM now to find out how quickly this technology can be introduced to your radios and how new Android software can enhance your interface and control.
Apple offers much more extensive location controls on the iPhone than on Android, including network search and enhanced emergency alert information. However, these limitations have not yet been brought to the attention that Android is doing here. We hope to see a more detailed comparison between the two, including details on what wireless networking can and cannot do on the iPhone, and how the OS and modem interface.
And that’s what’s most interesting here. Google is leading the way in privacy messaging and user transparency, which has always been Apple’s responsibility.
As always, this level of security and privacy on a cell phone is nice to have, if not game-changing for the vast majority of users. But for journalists, politicians, celebrities, dissidents and protesters, this is a surprising and welcome step forward in improving personal privacy and data security.
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