Smartphone kill switch to be adopted by Samsung, HTC, Apple, Nokia, Google, Microsoft, and more

A smartphone kill switch, as described by CTIA’s Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment, is “a baseline anti-theft tool” which will come, at no additional cost to the customer, pre-installed, or downloadable, on the first phones produced after July 2015, by the manufacturers adhering to the document.

Network operators, manufacturers, and OS builders that adhered so far include Apple, AT&T, Google, HTC, Huawei, Motorola, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless. This so called kill switch will likely grace your next phone — if manufactured after July of next year — if you are in the US, and will allow you to remotely wipe your stolen or lost phone, render it inoperable (and reverse the action), as well as prevent reactivation without authorization. You can find more info at the source link below.

Source: CTIA
Via: Engadget

From pocketnow.com