In Short:
Android 15 may come with a new privacy feature to protect personal information while screen sharing. The feature could obscure sensitive data like passwords from being displayed. An API allows apps to access this protection. The feature is not yet enabled on the latest beta version. It could be released in Beta 2 or at Google I/O in May. This will help prevent users from falling for scams during screen sharing.
Android 15 to Introduce Privacy Feature for Screen Sharing
Android 15 is expected to come with a powerful new privacy feature that could protect users from leaking personal information while sharing their screens. The upcoming version of Google’s smartphone operating system may obscure certain parts of the screen, such as password fields or sensitive notifications, when screen sharing is enabled. Users might also have the option to disable these protections on their Android devices.
Report Details
According to a report by Android Police, the latest Android 15 Beta 1.1 release includes a new toggle in the Developer options menu called Disable screen share protections. This setting is said to disable system protections for “sensitive app content” during screen sharing. However, the feature has not been activated by Google in the current beta version of Android 15.
The report also mentions a new API found in the latest Android 15 beta release, which allows apps with custom virtual views, WebView, and Jetpack Compose to access a sensitive content protection feature. This feature could potentially block specific fields displaying sensitive information like passwords or email addresses.
Implementation and Potential Benefits
It remains unclear how Android 15 will determine which parts of the screen to obscure during screen sharing. Nonetheless, this feature could offer protection against scammers attempting to trick users into sharing their screens to obtain passwords, OTPs, or two-factor authentication codes.
As of now, the privacy feature is not enabled in Android 15 Beta 1.1. It is anticipated to be activated in the next beta release or could be officially announced by Google at the upcoming Google I/O event in May before being rolled out to beta testers.
