Anyone with a Galaxy smartphone squeezed into their pocket would be wise to make some simple changes as soon as possible. Phone theft is a growing issue across the UK with recent stats from the Met Police, confirming that 70,137 Londoners alone had a device snatched from them in 2024. That equates to about 192 victims every single day.

With most devices worth hundreds of pounds it’s a very lucrative business with phones often sent abroad within hours of being taken.

With so much data – such as photos, videos and banking details – held on these portable gadgets, it can be hugely concerning if they get stolen but Samsung is trying to help by offering a swathe of important security features.

“Samsung is today encouraging smartphone users across the UK to enable and update the latest anti-theft features available on Samsung Galaxy devices,” the company said in a recent update.

This includes one critical update now available on Galaxy phone called Theft Protection.

Samsung says this function offers a multi-layered suite of features developed to safeguard personal data, even in high-risk situations such as robbery.

Once activated, Theft Protection offers extras such as “Theft Detection Lock” which uses machine learning to detect motions associated with theft such as snatching. Once spotted it automatically locks the screen so data can’t be accessed.

There’s also “Offline Device Lock” which automatically locks the screen if the device is disconnected from the network for an extended period, ensuring protection even when the device is offline.

Then there’s “Remote Lock” which does exactly what it says on the tin and lets users lock the device remotely.

Along with these existing features, Samsung has also confirmed the release of two new security updates.

These include…

Identity Check: In unfamiliar locations, the ‘Safe Places’ feature requires biometric authentication for any changes to sensitive security settings, adding an additional layer of protection when a PIN may have been compromised.

Security Delay: If a robber attempts to reset biometric data, a one-hour delay immediately gets activated before any changes take effect. This crucial buffer gives Samsung customers time to lock the stolen phone from a connected device, such as a PC or tablet, before unauthorised access can occur.

“Our recent One UI 7 update built further on existing protections with new anti-theft features such as identity check, biometric authentication and security delay, all featured in our latest Galaxy S25 series,” said Annika Bizon, Mobile Experience (MX) VP of Product and Marketing, UK&I at Samsung

“These features have now also been rolled out into a range of models across our devices and further updates will follow. We must do everything we can to ensure the safety and security of our customers when they are using their mobile devices and we will continue to work hard to ensure our customers are aware of the wide range of security features available to them.”

These updated theft features are now becoming available on previous flagship devices, starting with the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Fold6, Z Flip6, Z Fold5, Z Flip 5, S23 and S22 series currently, with future updates planned for even more Galaxy smartphones.