Google may force Android phones to encrypt in the future

Lollipop system encryption options

According to foreign media Ars Technica, encryption is enabled by default on Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 when running Lollipop, but other third-party phones running the system, such as Moto G and the newly released Samsung Galaxy S6, do not have the feature enabled by default.

Last year, Google proposed that new mobile devices will require full disk encryption, and said that encryption will be a standard feature in future software versions. In the official document description, Google will not require OEM manufacturers to immediately switch to mandatory encryption. Enabling encryption is only a recommended option and requires mobile phone hardware support. However, encryption may be mandatory in the future. The benefit of encryption is to make mobile phone data more secure and protect users' privacy from being violated after their phones are lost or stolen.

Currently, Apple's iOS 8 has automatically encrypted most of the data on the phone, and the recently launched Blackphone has also proposed a solution for communication encryption. Google's move to provide encryption as a default option will accelerate the pace of Android phone manufacturers in catching up in terms of security.