My stolen Pixel revealed Google is missing a simple anti-theft feature

I’ve been using a Pixel 7 Pro as my primary phone since 2022, and I didn’t have any immediate plans to upgrade just yet. If it ain’t broke, right? Unfortunately, I got complacent and left my bag unattended while swimming at a crowded beach. Goodbye, Pixel phone.

I tried to track the stolen phone via Find Hub, but I quickly gave up when I realized that my Pixel phone has a key security limitation. And I really hope Google and other Android OEMs address this problem.

As soon as I got home, I tried to track my stolen Pixel 7 Pro, but the phone wasn’t showing up in the Find Hub. I quickly realized that the thieves could turn off the phone without entering a PIN, thereby disabling my ability to track it. This seems like a glaring oversight. Sure, Android’s recent anti-theft protection features are great for preserving your user data, and I’m thankful for these security layers, but I also wanted at least some chance of finding my phone.

Google isn’t alone in this regard. Global Xiaomi phones, and presumably others can also be turned off without entering a PIN first. This is more than just a Google Pixel problem.

Users on Google’s Pixel Community forum have requested this feature numerous times over the years. However, Google product experts have contended that this wouldn’t be effective as thieves immediately put these phones in metal containers or RF-shield bags to block any signals. This excuse ignores the fact that some thieves might not think of these measures in the first place.

This excuse hasn’t stopped other brands from offering this feature, though. Nothing, OPPO (including realme and OnePlus), Samsung, and vivo all offer this option on their phones, as seen below.

Nothing calls this toggle Power Off Verify, OnePlus calls it Require password to power off, Samsung includes it as part of a Lock network and security toggle, and vivo calls it Unlock to Power Off. Most of these brands hide the toggle under Settings > Security and Privacy, while Samsung’s toggle is found by tapping Settings > Lock screen and AOD > Secure lock settings. The execution differs somewhat among these OEMs, as some brands (e.g., Samsung and vivo) don’t require a PIN if your phone is already unlocked. But this is still better than not having the toggle at all.

One potential downside is that you can still force a restart by holding the power button and a volume key for 10 seconds. But this only restarts the device rather than permanently turning it off, and this combo is still handy if your frozen phone needs a restart.

Either way, it’s clear that Google lags behind a host of other smartphone makers by not offering this feature. So while Pixels offer a variety of exclusive features, and stock Android has narrowed the gap to other Android skins, Google still has some work to do.

There is some encouraging news, though, as the last three generations of Pixel phones can be tracked while powered off. This is a fantastic inclusion in theory, and it means there’s a chance you can still track your phone after it’s stolen. Unfortunately, the Pixel 7 series doesn’t support this feature, which is why a Power Off Verify option would’ve been a great fallback option. Colleague Rita El-Khoury wasn’t impressed with the Pixel line’s powered-off tracking, either, as the device location frequently failed to update.

It’s also worth noting that other OEMs have been slow to adopt powered-off tracking. For what it’s worth, the realme GT8 Pro, OnePlus 13 and newer, and Xiaomi 15 series and later are among the most notable phones with the feature. However, the likes of Samsung and Nothing don’t seem to support this option.

In any event, I still hope Google brings a Power Off Verify feature to old and new Pixels alike in the future. It’s clearly too late for my Pixel 7 Pro, and it wouldn’t have been a slam dunk for finding my stolen phone by any means. However, it would be another layer of security against thieves and mischief-makers alike.