Android 16 will protect users from fake cell towers and potential spying threats

It turns out that your smartphone could be an overlooked vulnerability that puts you at risk of being tracked. To combat this, Google is rolling out a new security feature in Android 16 that will warn users if their device is using a fake or insecure mobile network or if that network requests identifying information about a connected device.

However, these features likely won't be available until the next generation of Android devices, as first reported by Android Authority. Since the current Android devices lack the hardware to support these features, the first compatible Android device we could see with this tech may be the Pixel 10 that's expected to debut later this summer.

This feature is designed to counteract cell site simulators, or devices that act like a cell tower and trick nearby devices into connecting to it. Once connected, these simulators can glean sensitive information ...