The next version of Android and Windows Phone will feature a kill switch similar to the Activation Lock function on iOS. The decision follows a push by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to require smartphones to have the feature.
The kill switch feature is designed to deactivate the phone and render it unusable when stolen. Apple already introduced a kill switch with iOS 7, and the results have been significant. After Activation Lock was rolled out in September, thefts of Apple devices in New York fell by 17 percent. At the same time, thefts of Samsung phones increased by 51 percent. In London, iPhone theft was reduced by 24 percent, and San Francisco saw a 38 percent decrease. In both cases the theft of other phones increased. Including a similar feature on Android and Windows phones means that 97 percent of smartphones in the U.S. will include a kill switch.
"The commitments of Google and Microsoft are giant steps toward consumer safety and the statistics released today illustrate the stunning effectiveness of kill switches," Schneiderman says in a statement. "In just one year, the Secure Our Smartphones Initiative has made tremendous strides towards curtailing the alarming trend of violent smartphone theft."
Schneiderman doesn't overstate the problem of violent smartphone theft. The report [pdf] by the Secure Our Smartphone (SOS) initiative cites five cases in New York, as well as others in Chicago, St. Louis and South Africa. To combat this, the SOS wants to make kill switches a standard feature on all phones. Currently most devices with the feature require users to opt in before it can be used. The SOS believes this should be reversed, enabling the function by default and allowing users to opt out instead. It is not yet clear whether the kill switches in Android and Windows Phone will follow this idea.
The state of Minnesota passed a law in May requiring all phones to feature a kill switch, and similar bills are on the way in California, New York and Illinois. These laws will affect even smartphones not running Android, iOS or Windows Phone, such as BlackBerry devices.
