Google’s current front line major push is security. The company has already sued the US Government for better transparency on data requests, and now in Android L the company is looking to put security at the top of the operating system’s priorities.
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To combat locked or stolen phones being accessed and/or hacked into, Google’s new Android Smart Lock system has come into play. The software feature allows users to unlock their smartphone in a few more ways than standard password or slide to unlock. You can get into your phone using exoctic new modes of access, such as via Bluetooth pairing, wireless NFC signals, or even facial recognition.
The lock screen itself has now been given the ability to show certain notifications from programs running on the phone, meaning that you needn’t have to deal with these new trickier locking features simply to see if someone texted or messaged you.
Much to the chagrin of the agent community over at the FBI, Google has included the controversial default file encryption feature to Android Lollipop. This controversial system makes your phone almost watertight from external snooping and file access by encrypting data as soon as the device is started.
Google themselves cannot unlock the encryption, since the key to decrypt the files and data is stored on the encrypted phone, in other words, not even the government can get the device to share its secrets – only the phone knows how to crack the code, and even the biggest nerds at the FBI, CIA, and NSA haven’t got a chance up against Google algorithms used for encryption.
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If that’s not enough, the Linux element of Android, Google’s Security Enhanced Linux, or SELinux, has been given a polish and a revamp. The SELinux security system must be activated on Android Lollipop before most applications can be run.
So, there you have it, some (but not all) of Google’s new features included on Android L. It looks like the OS, which ships first to the Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player, is set to be one of the most secure mobile operating systems yet. Lollipop arrives on the previously stated devices in early November.
Source: Android Official Blog
Via: Techspot