Hidden ‘panic mode’ on your smartphone could save you

If you’re anything like the rest of us, you’ve got a lot of apps on your smartphone as there seems to be an app for just about everything. 

But do we really know what we’re uploading onto our phones which often hold our personal and private details? 

A secret panic detection mode has been hidden by Google into Android phones which will detect when malware or spyware masquerading as an app has been installed on your phone. 

The panic mode can recognise if you’re entering dangerous territory and will immediately take you back the home screen. 

It activates when you try to press the back button rapidly — which can mean you’re trying to exit the suspicious app. 

While Google hasn’t announced the feature publicly, according to9-to-5 Google, one expert who was clearly paying attention, noticed it in the Android operating system source code over the weekend. 

But not all Android phones will have it turned on automatically as your phone needs to be updated to Android 7.1 Nougat. 

It’s rumoured that it will be default in future versions but there’s been no news as to whether Apple’s iPhone will follow suit.

Smartphone users are at greater risk than ever with hackers executing malicious code incessantly with thieves not just targeting large corporations anymore — everyday people are at risk too. 

Read more: This Facebook hoax will probably land in your inbox soon

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