Android May Soon Warn You About Fake Cell Towers

What this feature does 🛡️

“Network notifications” in Android 16 can alert you when your phone connects to:
- An unencrypted cell tower, which is a typical sign of a fake tower or stingray,
- A tower that requests identifying info like your IMEI/IMSI

These pop-ups will appear both in the notification panel and in the Safety Center.

You’ll also have an option to disable 2G entirely, which is a common fallback exploited by fake towers.

Fake towers (commonly known as stingrays or IMSI catchers) masquerade as legitimate cell towers. They can:

Until now, few tools existed on regular phones to detect these invasions.

Hardware required: The feature needs a modem with Android’s Radio HAL 3.0.
Current phones—even updated Pixels—lack this, so the setting stays hidden.
First rollout is expected on new devices shipping with Android 16, like the upcoming Pixel 10, in late 2025.

Update to an Android 16 phone with HAL 3.0.
Go to Settings → Security & Privacy → Safety Center → Mobile Network Security.
Enable:
- Network notifications, and
- 2G network protection (optional but recommended).

After that, your phone will notify you if you’re on an unencrypted or suspicious cell network.

📡 Privacy-conscious users, journalists, and activists could benefit most, as this adds a layer of transparency against surveillance.
Even if you’re not in high-risk situations, letting the feature run in the background—and blocking 2G—can only help.
For now, manual safety steps (like disabling 2G yourself if your phone supports it) are wise interim measures.

Feature	What it does
Network notifications	Alerts on unencrypted or suspicious cell tower connections
2G protection	Lets you completely disable 2G to prevent downgrades

Both require new hardware and will first appear on future Android 16 phones such as the Pixel 10.

This marks a major privacy boost for Android by offering real-time alerts against invisible threats.