Google on Thursday announced that its much awaited new OS iteration dubbed Android L will come with data encryption turned on by default.
Data encryption has been offered as option on Android smartphones and tablets system since 2011 and had to be activated manually by users. However, the upcoming software version, Android L, set to be released next month, will have data encryption turned on by default instead of an optional feature.
This new feature will ensure that whatever data is stored on the device running Android L will be inaccessible unless the person has the correct password.
Announcing the feature, Google in a statement said Android has been offering encryption for the last three years and keys are not stored off of the device which means they cannot be shared with law enforcement.
However, as part of the company’s next Android release, encryption will be enabled by default out of the box, the search giant noted.
The revelation comes just 2 days after Apple made iOS 8 available to end-users on Wednesday. The Cupertino’s new mobile operating system iOS 8 supports new automatic encryption methods that will prevent Apple from accessing users’ data.
Google is yet to announce when the next Android version is due for release.
