According to a recent report, Android 15 users may soon benefit from enhanced privacy when sharing their screens. The upcoming version of Google’s smartphone operating system, expected in the latter half of 2024, could include a feature that obscures sensitive information, such as passwords and notifications, during screen sharing sessions. Google may provide users with the option to disable this protection on their Android smartphones. Android Police reports that the latest Android 15 Beta 1.1 release introduces a new toggle in the Developer options menu titled “Disable screen share protections.” The description accompanying the toggle explains that this setting will disable system protections for “sensitive app content” when screen sharing is enabled. However, the feature is currently inactive in the latest Android 15 beta. The publication also discovered a new API in the latest Android 15 beta that enables apps with custom virtual views, WebView, and Jetpack Compose to access a sensitive content protection feature. This feature reportedly empowers the operating system to block specific fields containing sensitive information, such as passwords or email addresses. It remains unclear how Android 15 will determine which portions of the screen to obscure during screen sharing. Nonetheless, this feature has the potential to shield users from scammers who attempt to gain access to passwords, one-time passwords (OTPs), or two-factor authentication codes by persuading users to share their screens. This feature is currently disabled in Android 15 Beta 1.1, rendering it unavailable for testing by users who have installed the first public beta on their Pixel phones. According to the report, Google may activate this feature in Android 15 Beta 2 or unveil it at Google I/O in May before making it available to beta testers.
Android 15 Beta Hints at Enhanced Privacy Features for Screen Sharing
