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My phone detects going on a run as “someone snatching my phone and running off”
- laweijfmvo 2mo agothis is easily solved by buying the corresponding wearable made by your phone manufacturer! /s
- Melatonic 2mo agoOr just get an insane case and bike lock the phone to your body. Now they have to steal you as well!
- the__alchemist 2mo agoYou seem to be shaking your phone in frustration. Would you like to submit a bug report?
- anabab 2mo agoThat's an option in Google maps
- user_7832 2mo agoIt's also an amazing option on the Google app on the iPad. Yeah sure, let me just shake my freaking massive tablet when I have feedback. What next, shake your 16" MacBook every time you find a bug? You'll have a better chance of quashing a physical bug than a digital bug at that point.
- master-lincoln 2mo agoit is one way to enter the feedback screen, not the only way
- anigbrowl 2mo agoThrowing me against the wall will not solve anything, Dave
- Waterluvian 2mo agoIs "snatching a phone and running off" a common enough problem in some regions that this is worth having? Or is this a feature chasing after fears of the bogeyman, leading to concrete inconveniences like this?
- hbn 2mo ago> Is "snatching a phone and running off" a common enough problem in some regions that this is worth having? Yes absolutely https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/phone-london-snatch-9.7204104 https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/phone-london-snatch-9.7204104
- throwaway27448 2mo agoWhy bother stealing iPhones? Is it just for the scrap/recycle->repair value?
- hparadiz 2mo agoThey send them to countries where they aren't locked or break it down for parts.
- throwaway27448 2mo ago> They send them to countries where they aren't locked iphones will remain locked regardless of what country they're in. I presume you're talking about states who are seemingly unwilling to pursue/prosecute claims of theft?
- kotaKat 2mo agothere's still a fairly lucrative parts stripping market and there are extreme efforts that are used to "unlock" locked devices - it has been known in the Chinese marketplace that you could get paired chips to do SMD rework with a "clean" set of identifiers. they'll swap the SOC, the flash, and the wireless all for a few bucks. older iOS devices as well are also vulnerable to having their syscfg rewritten via exploits, so you can "clean" a locked device that way as well with a good set of serials. Apple Watches are a hot one for this.
- jerlam 2mo agoI found this doozy from someone trying to test out the feature: > After looking over Google’s advice, my key takeaway was that thieves are in much better shape than me, and run both longer and faster than this nerdy writer has in more than two decades. https://www.androidauthority.com/android-theft-detection-lock-test-3491674/ https://www.androidauthority.com/android-theft-detection-loc... Personally, the main situation I'm concerned about is on a bus or train, where someone grabs your phone right and exits right before the door closes. But I already avoid spending a lot of time on the street with my head buried in my phone.
- artisinal 2mo agoPull the emergency handle and get your phone back. If you live in South America you might even be allowed to use lethal force doing so.
- dashdashu 2mo agolethal force against a thief of your smartphone seems disproportionate to me
- fennecfoxy 2mo agoI always agree with your statement when people discuss it from a purely theoretical philosophical/moral standpoint. But when it actually happens to you, as I have been violently mugged several times. Oh, would I push that button - pull that trigger and I'd rewind time so I can do it a few times over. Cathartic. These little fuckers hide out in alleyways late at night and they've made a career of it. They do it so often they embellish their muggings with other bits like choking and mock stabbing or slamming people's heads against pavements. So fuck 'em.
- devmor 2mo agoSo your stance is that it’s wrong, but you should be allowed to do it because it makes you very angry? What exactly would you think of anyone else applying that reasoning to anything in society? Would you think that they belong in society?
- chrisjj 2mo agoIs this creeping brand rep protection? Rather like Meta glasses' recording warning LED.
- ck2 2mo agooooh now I get the meme posts with the duct-taping phone to hand visiting Paris
- rsynnott 2mo agoAdding “running” to the list of things that Google engineers apparently don’t do. Where it joins “walking”. Google Maps will suggest almost arbitrarily bonkers public transport directions to avoid walking. Personal favourite: the sensible way to get from my house to work, unless the weather is terrible, is six minutes on a train and a 15 min walk. Google Maps would, generally, prefer that I spend 15 mins on the train going mostly the wrong direction and 15 minutes on a tram, then a five minute walk. It will also contemplate a ten minute walk, ten minutes walking being within the threshold Google deems physically possible, plus an arbitrary amount of time on a rather slow bus. Apple Maps and Transit are better at this.
- juujian 2mo agoI remember Google maps working well for walking around in Europe. Ever since I've moved to America, not so much. Go figure...
- rsynnott 2mo agoThis is in Ireland. I’ve also noticed it doing very silly things in Germany and the UK. It’s fine for pure walking directions, but it gets unhappy about the idea of someone using public transport walking.
- scarby2 2mo agothere really needs to be a configurable rules/decisions engine. I.e. i would prefer to walk everywhere, i will take public transit if it saves me more than 15 minutes total or 5 minutes per leg, evaluate this at every interchange node. There are some routings in london for example where the best course of action is actually to take a train, get off walk 5 minutes then take a different train, google will always tell you to stay on the train to a point where you can change trains in the same station.
- rsynnott 2mo agoI'd also be able to tell it "never suggest that I get bus routes A, B or C; they do not in practice turn up on time". > There are some routings in london for example where the best course of action is actually to take a train, get off walk 5 minutes then take a different train, google will always tell you to stay on the train to a point where you can change trains in the same station. Had a good one in Amsterdam recently; rather than walk 9 minutes to the nearby central station and get a train there, it wanted me to walk 6 minutes to the central station's metro station entrance (which was a bit closer), get a metro, then join the train at another station entirely. Would have taken about twice as long.
- sroerick 2mo agoSolution is simple, run slower!
- pepperoni_pizza 2mo agoGotta stay in zone 2. Or your shins explode.
- branon 2mo agoI refuse to go running with a phone - too heavy, and too distracting, running outside is one of the few places I _escape_ the phone for a bit. So I made sure to get a fitness tracker with onboard GPS. It syncs to the phone later, when I return, which then uploads workout data to the vendor's cloud. I look at the results on my PC with a web browser, phone is a passive middleman and is never touched directly for fitness tracking.
- frereubu 2mo agoYou may have tried this, but I run with my phone in an elasticated belt that's just tight enough to keep the phone stable without being uncomfortable. I really don't want to fork out for another device just for running. (I also find a watch on my wrist annoying when I don't wear one normally).
- Melatonic 2mo agoNot the OP but I used to do that - problem is phones are becoming so damn large even the elasticated belt doesnt work that great anymore. Too much bounce. I found a "belt" thats much wider and doesnt have a clip (has to be sized just right) that does work better. But a bit of a pain to wear sometimes. For years I just literally ran with the phone in my hand (got used to switching hands and positions for comfort) so I could still do music and tracking. Not that bad when you get used to it. Eventually got a Garmin watch (cheapest with maps and music) which works great.
- frereubu 2mo agoFair - I have an iPhone 13 mini, which works well, but I can imagine anything bigger getting quite annoying.
- apelapan 2mo ago9/10 runs I leave my phone at home, but when I do bring it for some reason, I'm very happy with my "Flipbelt(tm)". It carries a 250g phone with no slipping, sliding or bounce. My Flipbelt has lost some tightness after three years and many laundry cycles, but it still manages a Pixel 10a with no problems. The belt rests over the hip and I usually have the phone flat on my backside. I don't really notice it after a few steps.
- z3t4 2mo agoIn Sweden where I live you need to use the digital national ID whenever you make a credit card transaction via some app, for example when buying a bus ticket, so you need to have it with you at all times. But with the ID you can also take a quick loan and transfer all the money to a foreign bank basically ruining your life as the bank take no responsibility if the ID is used during the transaction.
- ianmurrays 2mo agoDoes the app not require authentication? At least MitID in Denmark requires a 6-digit PIN at the very minimum, or biometrics optionally.
- pitkali 2mo agoWhen I lived in Sweden I had an 8-digit pin and biometrics enabled, indeed.
- apelapan 2mo agoThe issue is that someone can look over your shoulder and memorize your code, if you use a pin in public. Some people will use the same pin for screen lock and BankID, and if someone gets their code and their phone they can cause a huge amount of trouble in a very short time.
- KomoD 2mo agoThat's just their fault at that point, in my opinion.
- z3t4 2mo agoGiving away your phone would be one thing, but they also force you to give away your passwords and unlock at gunpoint.
- apelapan 2mo agoTechnically yes, but it seems like people's intuition for safe behaviour is worse across the board with modern technology, than it is with old technology. Maybe it will improve by itself over time, but maybe not? There are a lot of things that humans generally suck at, and successful, human-friendly design must take that into account and work around it systematically. Maybe phones/it/banking/payments/identity/authorization needs to be radically changed, in order to serve society well.
- kbrannigan 2mo agoComing soon near you: - Warming up for a run: Possible agitated tweaker, possible crisis - Going for a run after midnight: Evasive solitary movement after dark - Sprinting the last block home: Flight behavior consistent with shoplifting offense - Running with a hood up in the rain: Deliberate biometric obfuscation - Two runners meeting at a corner and leaving in opposite directions: Brief contact event, possible hand-to-hand Score increase the darker you get.
- frereubu 2mo agoThe solution is clear - an "I am a tweaker" toggle.
- helterskelter 2mo ago2036 crime prevention, detecting this behaviour and automatically forwarding it to the police to be referenced later for probable cause.
- Joker_vD 2mo agoPfft, police. Have you read Watchbird (1953) by Robert Sheckley? That's pretty much exactly where we're heading right now.
- teddyh 2mo agoOr even taking a walk: <https://archive.org/details/sim_reporter_1951-08-07_5_3_0/page/39/mode/1up https://archive.org/details/sim_reporter_1951-08-07_5_3_0/pa...> (Alternate link: <https://archive.org/details/sim_reporter_1951-08-07_5_3/page/39/mode/1up https://archive.org/details/sim_reporter_1951-08-07_5_3/page...>)
- cucumber3732842 2mo ago>- Sprinting the last block home: Flight behavior consistent with shoplifting offense That's the kind of thing I can see them doing because they don't exactly get a lot of downpours in SF
- deleted 2mo ago[deleted]
- m463 2mo agoI thought there was an article a while back where devices could also log when sex was going on.
- charonn0 2mo agoI believe in that case it was smart vibrator that phoned home info like device temperature and vibration intensity. [0]: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/14/520123490/vibrator-maker-to-pay-millions-over-claims-it-secretly-tracked-use https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/14/520123490...
- mrguyorama 2mo agoIf your heart rate is up, Fitbits will recognize pretty much any rhythmic activity as some sort of exercise and start tracking. "Spinning" is a common one.
- metalman 2mo agosomeone DID snatch the phone and then run off with it, but if it was up to me I would have mine without any gyros or gps sensors in it, in the first place, and instead a bunch of simpler features that I can only wish for. the list of instant emergency activities now includes, sking, dancing,and running with automatic file screening for pedo content and who knows what else in state of trembling readiness to report and testify as the new default, you.
- alentred 2mo agoA good example of how a wrong assumption ruins something (in tech, products, and life in general). I love the feature idea, but the assumption that a sudden brisk run equals theft obviously ruined it. Well, easy for us to say in retrospect, but my point is: don't make assumptions, test your theories, challenge them, confirm them. Scientific method rules.
- snapplebobapple 2mo agoIts not wrong though...
- thinkindie 2mo agomy apple watch triggers a high noise notification every time wind blows a bit stronger than a gentle breeze.
- pessimizer 2mo agoSuch a silly complaint. Just file a request with Google for a run, and if you give them a few hours advance notice and verify that it's you through a video call with their AI authentication service, they'll put you right in the queue and tell you the range of slots that you're likely to get one of. You can use the time between now and then to get approval on your route.
- freetime2 2mo agoIn a somewhat similar vein, I find that when I use my Apple Watch to track a hike, it will frequently auto pause or ask me if I've finished when I'm climbing slowly up a steep ascent. It annoys the heck out of me because that's often when I'm working hardest. My watch is also tracking my heart rate - and I think it's pretty safe to assume that if my HR is holding steady at 150 BPM then I have not stopped for a break. Or at least give me the option to turn off Auto Pause/Auto End just for hiking workouts - instead I have to turn off the feature for all workouts. But I suppose that level of customization would be very un-Apple. The world of appliances is littered with these "smart" features that purport to make life more convenient, but are implemented so crudely that they end up causing more trouble than they solve.
- kserrec 2mo agoStrange. I've never experienced anything like this. I can forget it's on and stop moving entirely for an hour and the apple watch doesn't turn my walk off!
- lsllc 2mo agoI got an Apple Watch just before the pandemic. In the winter I love to XC Ski, but it wasn't in there as an activity -- I guess not much snow in Cupertino. After a year or two of daily charging I went back to my trusty Garmin 935 that lasts ~2 weeks on a charge (used to be more like a month, but you know what I can install a replacement battery!) -- the Garmin does have an XC Ski activity.
- freetime2 2mo agoI just checked and it looks like Cross Country Skiing is an option now. But yeah I think Garmin and other smart watches are definitely preferred by serious athletes (and people who don't like charging their watch daily). Whereas I mostly just use my Apple Watch as a way to get notifications and as a glorified step tracker.
- ryanjshaw 2mo agoI want it off by default even for calm low HR outdoor walks. Nothing wrong with stopping a few minutes to admire nature during your outdoor walks! This feature was probably designed by the same person who thought it was a great idea not to let us switch off the screenshot sound.
- randyrand 2mo agoOkay, then turn this feature off. How often do you go on runs? At most 3x a day? Personally i’d rather err on the side of it locking.
- freetime2 2mo agoAlso in that thread: > amazingly I can find no way to turn this behavior off at all, never mind a more fine-grained control like, say, "ignore this event while the app I use to time my runs is in the foreground" > (there is a global toggle for "device protections" that ostensibly includes this, but it was set to off to begin with so ???)
- janfoeh 2mo agoAt the end of the thread, they say they've found the toggle, but it is greyed-out in the off position.
- yndoendo 2mo agoWith the following assumption being present that the runner has Bluetooth headphones connected. Wouldn't the simplistic improvement be to monitor Bluetooth single strength? Is this feature able to be disabled? I'm slow walking my path to de-Google and use a Linux device for music and audio books while exercising.
- deleted 2mo ago[deleted]
- atum47 2mo agoMine did that once. Pixel pro 10
- prtmnth 2mo agoI'm sitting at my desk browsing my phone and it gets locked with the theft protection alert. This only started happening in recent weeks. It's super annoying :/
- gryfft 2mo agoI intentionally did not set up theft detection exactly because I really don't need to get locked out of my life randomly because of inferences made based on someone else's assumptions about my device's accelerometers.
- ingvay7 2mo agoGalaxy watch chirped “Great, you’re moving again” during a flight with heavy turbulence. I was ignoring the bumpiness until that alert put me on high alert and freaked me out.
- NDlurker 2mo agoHuh. I have a Pixel 7 but I leave it at home when I run because I don't want a phone in my pocket. I'll have to try this out tomorrow.
- Animats 2mo agoThere's the Yanna9x approach to someone snatching a phone and running off.[1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XHyi0Q8vrOA https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XHyi0Q8vrOA
- 1saadcodes 2mo agoAre you sure it was "your" phone before the run/s
- drnick1 2mo agoConsidering that the comments in the original article shows he is using a Pixel 7, the solution is obvious: give Google and its spyware the cold shoulder and install GrapheneOS.
- gucci-on-fleek 2mo agoI have a Pixel 7a on the latest version (Android 17, July 2026 build), and I'm able to turn this off. If you want to find it the long way, then tap through the following screens: Settings > Security & Privacy > Lost device protection > Theft protection > Theft Detection Lock > (Off) Or if you want to find it the fast way, open the Settings app, search for "theft", and then tap the first result and turn it off.
- rhplus 2mo agoFor iPhone users, you can set up a Shortcut that achieves similar results because many snatchers will instinctively try to turn off cellular: + When airplane mode is enabled + Lock the screen and require password Locking the phone is the most important thing. Losing the physical device is a bummer but it can be replaced and restored. Allowing access to any apps or message history is the worst case scenario.
- alienbaby 2mo agohappened to us yestreday ob the london tube. Google thought someone had run off with the phone qwhen the tube train started up.
- federiconafria 2mo agoI've been running for 3 years with a pixel 7a, even doing sprints once a week. It triggered once. But I keep the phone in a running belt, not in my hands. Now that I think about, it the time it triggered I was pacing my GF and holding the phone in my hand. So it might be a much more common occurrence if you run with your phone in your hands. Anyway, since I'm often in places where this kind of theft is common. I love the feature and I'd rather it triggers every now and then wrongly than not.
- fennecfoxy 2mo agoYeah it triggers for me when I'm on the tube, ahahahaa. But I would rather it do that than my phone still be unlocked after being mugged or scooter thieves'd'd. I've also ensured I switch to esim so that they can't just eject it. Unfortunately they will still dump it into faraday bags.
- a3w 2mo agoTechnically correct, though? Must be a thief, you are even chasing them or your other gadgets would disconnect!
- thataccount 2mo agoSomeone did snatch your phone and run off. It just happened to be you.
- gadders 2mo agoI was running on a treadmill a few weeks back, and was knackered so stopped abruptly by jumping into a straddle position with my legs on the rails either side of the actual band on the treadmill. My smartwatch interpreted this as a fall and sent a red alert to my daughter.
- notsmarthuh 2mo agoDoesn't sound very "smart" to me.
- marcta 2mo agoIn fairness, a false positive is better than a false negative.
- jrootabega 2mo agoBut many false positives lead to a real positive being ignored as a false positive.
- jrootabega 2mo agoIt should at least notify you and give you the opportunity to cancel the alert within a few seconds
- gadders 2mo agoIt tried to, but a relatively new watch and not an easy button combo.