Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Identity & Access

Google Adds Android Notifications for Newly Added Devices

As a new feature to its Google Account service, Google said it would now alert users via their smartphone or tablet when new devices are added to their accounts.

As a new feature to its Google Account service, Google said it would now alert users via their smartphone or tablet when new devices are added to their accounts.

One of the benefits of associating devices with an online account is that users can track multiple phones, tablets, and other mobile devices from a single place. The new Android notification for newly added devices will improve the security of Google accounts, the Internet giant says.

The new feature is pretty straightforward: every time a new device is added to a Google account, a native Android notification will be displayed to inform on the newly added device or security event.

By keeping users informed on what is happening with their accounts in real time, Google expects to keep them better secured: because of these notifications, users can detect suspicious activity when it happens. However, should the activity be expected, users can dismiss the notification as they would in any other case.

When security incidents happen, users can choose to “Review Account Activity,” which allows them to find out what device was added to their account. They can also view details such as the location where the device was added from, along with other important information.

These notifications will pop up on all devices that the user has added to the account, which should increase chances that security incidents don’t go unnoticed.

“This increases transparency to the user of what actions they’ve performed and allows them to flag any suspicious activity they may be seeing on the device. We’ve also found that with Android notifications, users are up to four times as likely to review the information as compared to email notifications,” Google notes in a blog post.

The new feature is launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release and will see a gradual rollout, meaning that it might take more than 14 days for it to become available in some cases. All Android users will benefit from this security enhancement, Google says.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Just last month, Google announced another security enhancement for its mobile users, in the form of new 2-Step Verification that allows them to login on a computer by simply tapping a notification that appears on their mobile phones.

Related: Google Patches Tens of Critical Vulnerabilities in Android

Related: Google Brings Safe Browsing to Chrome for Android

Written By

Click to comment

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Learn how the LOtL threat landscape has evolved, why traditional endpoint hardening methods fall short, and how adaptive, user-aware approaches can reduce risk.

Watch Now

Join the summit to explore critical threats to public cloud infrastructure, APIs, and identity systems through discussions, case studies, and insights into emerging technologies like AI and LLMs.

Register

People on the Move

Matthew Cowell has assumed the role of VP of Strategic Alliances at Nozomi Networks. He previously served in the same role at Dragos.

Bret Arsenault is retiring from his full-time role after 35 years at Microsoft.

Social engineering defense platform Doppel has appointed Bobby Ford as Chief Strategy and Experience Officer.

More People On The Move

Expert Insights

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest cybersecurity news, threats, and expert insights. Unsubscribe at any time.