Samsung has just teamed up with Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular to offer important anti-theft features for its upcoming Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone.
As part of this partnership, the Verizon and U.S. Cellular versions of the Samsung Galaxy S5 will come pre-loaded with anti-theft solutions out of the box. More specifically, the smartphone will have Samsung's Find My Mobile and Reactivation Lock on board out of the box, although users will need to activate them.
"The decision by Samsung, Verizon and U.S. Cellular to provide Samsung's Find My Mobile and Reactivation Lock features on Galaxy S5 smartphones and to allow those features to be activated for free is a step forward in our effort to ensure the industry makes effective theft deterrents available on every smartphone sold in America," reads a joint press release from San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
"While we are concerned that consumers will need to opt in to the system, thereby limiting the ubiquity and effectiveness of the solution, the fact that Samsung and these carriers have agreed to work together to make Find My Mobile and Reactivation Lock available sends a strong message that all participants in this industry can indeed work together to make their customers safer," adds the statement. "Manufacturers and carriers need to put public safety before corporate profits and stop this violent epidemic, which has put millions of smartphone users at risk."
The features in question aim to boost the Samsung Galaxy S5's security. Find My Mobile is a web service similar to Apple's Find my iPhone, allowing users to locate their handset, wipe it remotely, or receive notifications once a different SIM is inserted into the device. Reactivation Lock, meanwhile, prevents any user other than the owner of the device from resetting the smartphone to its factory settings.
As previously mentioned, these features will come pre-installed on the Verizon and U.S. Cellular models of the Samsung Galaxy S5, but users will need to specifically activate them. Users will be able to activate these features completely free of charge, as soon as they get their device. As a reminder, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will finally hit commercial availability in just a few days, on April 11.
