Mobile security firm Lookout on Wednesday began rolling out a new feature for its Android app intended to help users combat phone thieves and prying eyes.
The new Lock Cam feature notifies you if anyone tries to access your device, whether it has been stolen or someone is simply trying to snoop on your phone behind your back. Lock Cam uses the front-facing camera on your device to silently take a photo of anyone who enters the wrong password three times into your lock screen.
"You'll then receive an email with the picture and the location of your device, giving you valuable information about who tried to access your device and where it happened," according to a blog post from Lookout. "You can then use this information to take steps to further protect your device, like changing or strengthening your password."
Lock Cam is only available in English at the moment, and will only work if your device has a front-facing camera, is running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or above, and has the lock screen enabled. Premium users can access Lock Cam immediately, while it will be rolling out to free users over the next week, Lookout said.
To enable Lock Cam, go to "Settings" in your Lookout app and make sure you have "Advanced Protection" and "Lock Cam" enabled.
Meanwhile, Lookout today also announced another new feature for its Premium Android app ($2.99 month/$29.99 year) intended to help users recover a missing device. Premium users can now add a customized message of up to 300 characters to their Lookout Lock screen providing information about how they can be contacted if a Good Samaritan finds the phone and wants to return it.
For more on Lock Cam, see the video below.Also check out PCMag's full review of Lookout Mobile Security Premium (for Android).
Catch Phone Thieves With Lookout Lock Cam