Android, Windows phones to get ‘kill switch’

Google and Microsoft will add a “kill-switch” feature to their Android and Windows phone operating systems.

The feature is a method of making a handset completely useless if it is stolen, rendering a theft pointless.

Authorities have been urging tech firms to take steps to help curb phone theft and argued that a kill-switch feature can help resolve the problem.

Apple and Samsung, two of the biggest phone makers, offer a similar feature on some of their devices.

The move by Google and Microsoft means that kill switches will now be a part of the three most popular phone operating systems in the world.

Authorities claim that Apple’s feature – dubbed Activation Lock – which it introduced on all iPhones running the iOS 7 operating system in September last year, has helped reduce theft substantially.

According to a report by the New York State Attorney General, in the first five months of 2014 the theft of Apple devices fell by 17 per cent in New York City.

Meanwhile iPhone robberies fell 24 per cent in London and 38 per cent in San Francisco in the six months after Apple introduced the feature, compared to the previous six months.

“During the same period, thefts of other popular mobile devices increased,” the report says.

Manoj Menon, managing director of consulting firm Frost & Sullivan said the move was a step in the right direction.

“This is a fantastic move and will go a long way in helping authorities come one step closer to realising a vision of zero theft of mobile phone,” he told the BBC.

But he added that it was “not a foolproof system” as thieves “will find a way to monetise the accessories and parts of a phone”.

However, he said the market for parts and accessories was relatively small and the kill switch “does substantially reduce the financial incentive of stealing a device”.

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