Google Launches ‘Advanced Protection’ in Android 16 to Counter Spyware Threats

Google is introducing its most robust mobile security features yet with Android 16, unveiling a new ‘Advanced Protection’ mode to guard against mobile malware, spyware, and scams.

Inspired by Apple’s Lockdown Mode for iOS, this new setting consolidates multiple high-level defenses under a single switch. It’s primarily aimed at high-risk users, such as journalists, government officials, and activists, who are increasingly targeted by sophisticated surveillance tools.

Once enabled, Advanced Protection activates a suite of security enhancements:

• Verified Boot enforcement
  
• Memory Tagging to Mitigate Memory-Based Exploits
  
• Automatic blocking of potentially malicious USB connections and 2G networks
  
• Strict bans on sideloading apps or disabling Google Play Protect
  

A key feature is Intrusion Logging—a secure, tamper-proof logging system meant to help forensic teams understand how malware entered the device. Google says this tackles a long-standing challenge in post-infection investigations.

“When a user enables Advanced Protection, the system locks down all included security settings, preventing them from being turned off by accident or through malicious actions,” Google explained. This layered defense approach aims to harden Android devices against even the most advanced attacks.

Additional features in the security suite include:

• Theft-detection auto-lock
  
• Offline device lock
  
• Safe browsing from Chrome
  
• AI-powered call screening
  
• Scam detection via the Phone by Google app
  
• JavaScript protections
  

Advanced Protection will launch with Android 16 in fall 2025, with further upgrades planned later in the year. These include enhanced Intrusion Logging, USB protection, options to disable automatic reconnection to insecure networks, and deeper integration with scam detection tools.

The release comes as Google’s Threat Analysis Group reported 75 active zero-day exploits in the wild last year, many of which originated from commercial surveillance vendors before being co-opted by state-sponsored hackers.

With this update, Android has taken a significant step toward closing the security gap in Apple’s ecosystem, extending top-tier protections to hundreds of millions of Android users worldwide.