ThummerSamsung Theft Protection, Step by Step
Samsung Galaxy phones carry two layers of theft protection: Google's tools and Samsung's own additions. They live in one menu, but they don't all switch on by themselves. Here's how to set each one up, in order, and what each won't do.
Menus vary by model and One UI version; the paths below come from Samsung's support pages.
Step 1: Set a screen lock and sign in
Everything below depends on two things. Google says theft protection features need a screen lock. Samsung says Identity Check needs biometric protection and a signed-in Samsung Account (Samsung UK support, updated March 2026), and Samsung Find needs a Samsung account added to the device. Set a PIN or password, register a fingerprint, and sign in to your Samsung Account before you start.
Step 2: Open Theft protection
On One UI 7, Samsung's path is Settings > Security and privacy > Lost device protection > Theft protection. Samsung gave the same path in June 2026. On One UI 6.1 or below, Samsung points you to Google's menu instead: Settings > Google > All services > Theft protection.
Inside, turn on three switches:
- Theft Detection Lock. Samsung says it uses machine learning to detect theft-related motion, such as snatching, and lock the screen.
- Offline Device Lock. It locks the screen if the phone remains disconnected from the network for a prolonged period.
- Remote Lock. Select "Use Remote Lock." Later, from any browser, you can lock the phone at android.com/lock with your phone number.
Know the limits. Google says Theft Detection Lock isn't active when the screen is already locked, and may not trigger on a stable Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection or after repeated locks. Offline Device Lock works only if the phone was unlocked when it lost connection. Remote Lock needs an active SIM, a verified phone number, Find Hub and an internet connection. Offline Device Lock and Remote Lock can each lock the screen only twice in 24 hours. Our Android theft protection explainer covers the Google side in more depth, and if a switch seems to do nothing, see Theft Detection Lock not working.
Step 3: Turn on Identity Check and add Safe Places
Identity Check is where Samsung adds its own layer. Outside places you mark as safe, it requires biometric authentication for sensitive security changes. Open Identity Check in the same Theft protection menu, then add Safe Places: tap +, choose Home, Work or Other, allow location access, search for the address and tap Save. That way, a PIN someone watched you type isn't enough, away from your Safe Places, to make those changes.
Step 4: Understand Security Delay
Security Delay comes with Identity Check. Outside Safe Places, Samsung says some changes need biometric confirmation, then a one-hour wait, then biometric confirmation again. Samsung lists:
- Turning off Identity Check
- Changing biometrics
- Changing other lock screen settings
- Turning off Find My Mobile
- Editing Safe Places
Samsung's UK newsroom explains the point (2025): the delay gives you time to lock the phone remotely before a thief's changes take effect.
Step 5: Set up Samsung Find
Samsung Find is Samsung's version of a find-my-phone service. Go to Settings > Security and privacy > Lost device protection and turn on "Allow this phone to be found," "Send last location" and "Offline finding."
If the phone is ever gone, sign in at samsungfind.samsung.com from another device. Samsung's support page lists what you can do there:
- Locate the phone on a map. If it's off, you see only its last known location.
- Ring it for one minute, even on mute or vibrate.
- Lock it with a new PIN, with an optional emergency contact and lock-screen message.
- Extend battery life by turning on maximum power saving.
- Erase it. Samsung warns this also erases data on an SD card.
Samsung's UK newsroom adds that location tracking updates every 15 minutes until you stop it. Use the map to tell police where the phone is; don't go after it yourself. If you can't erase remotely, Samsung suggests changing your Samsung account password, which logs out every device using that account.
Step 6: Move sensitive apps into Secure Folder
Secure Folder is a separate, passcode-protected area for apps and files. Samsung's path is Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder. Follow the prompts, sign in to your Samsung account if asked, and set a PIN, password or pattern. Samsung notes that without "Reset with Samsung account" turned on, you can't get into Secure Folder if you forget its code. If the option doesn't appear in the menu, your phone doesn't support it.
Step 7: Know the new lockout rules on One UI 9
On One UI 9.0, Samsung reduced the number of unlock attempts (Samsung US support, July 2026). Lockouts start at one minute after 5 failed tries and grow to 24 hours after 12. On the 13th failed attempt, the phone is permanently locked and only a factory reset restores it. After that reset, you need your Samsung Account and Google Account to get past Factory Reset Protection. Samsung says repeated identical wrong entries count once, and that it can't recover a forgotten PIN.
Back up regularly, and know your account passwords.
What none of this covers
Every tool above works either after a theft or on a guess. Theft Detection Lock is the one aimed at the grab itself, and it depends on motion. In the seconds after an unlocked phone leaves your hand, whatever is on screen stays open until something locks it. Some Galaxy owners add a habit or tool for that moment: a wrist strap, keeping the phone away from the curb, or an app. Thummer, for example, locks an Android phone within five seconds when the owner's thumb lifts off an on-screen bubble.
Write down your IMEI too (our IMEI guide shows where to find it), and keep our first-10-minutes checklist handy. If money is your worry, read how thieves drain bank apps from a stolen phone.
The bottom line
Set a screen lock, sign in to your Samsung Account, then work through one menu: Theft protection, Identity Check with Safe Places, and Lost device protection for Samsung Find. It takes about ten minutes, and each switch has to be on before a theft to help.