Samsung is motivating certain Galaxy owners to activate a theft-protection feature. The company mentioned that it is “motivating smartphone users throughout the UK to enable and refresh the latest anti-theft capabilities available on Samsung Galaxy devices” as part of the “Home Office’s continuous efforts to promote new nationwide initiatives to combat mobile phone thefts.”

Samsung revealed it would issue a notification encouraging users to update and activate these features to approximately 40 million U.K. account holders, although the features could also be advantageous for users globally. The company has implemented various security measures in its recent One UI 7 update, which includes biometric security, remote locking, and a theft detection locking tool, among other enhancements. While these features were previously accessible with the latest Galaxy S25 models, they are now available on older devices as well.

“These features have now also been deployed across a variety of models in our devices, and further updates will be forthcoming,” Annika Bizon, mobile experience VP of product and marketing at Samsung, stated in a release. “We must do everything possible to guarantee the safety and security of our customers when utilizing their mobile devices, and we will persist in working diligently to ensure our customers are informed about the extensive array of security features available to them.”

To safeguard customers whose phones are stolen, One UI 7 encompasses anti-theft features such as instant locking when theft is suspected, offline device locking, remote device locking, and new identity verification protections.

Samsung also urged users to upgrade to its newest software, One UI 7. For additional details on anti-theft tools and actions to take if your phone is stolen, please visit Samsung’s website.