If Your Phone Gets Hacked, Android 16 Will Know Exactly What Happened

Google is adding a new layer of security to mobile phones with the launch of Android 16. This update brings a tool called "Intrusion Logging." This tool functions much like an aircraft's black box. It is designed to track exactly what happens on a device when things go wrong. The feature was recently spotted on devices like the OnePlus Pad 3. It marks a major shift in how mobile operating systems handle security and forensic data.

Once a user turns on this feature in the settings, the system opens a log. It records various sensitive actions to create a timeline of the device’s health. This includes when the screen was unlocked and which apps were installed. It further monitors the network, a part of the web browsing history. Now, if the phone is acting up by draining battery life at a high rate, the user will see this in the log. If the phone shows odd ads, the log will also show this. It will even show if another user gained access to the phone.

Privacy is a major concern when recording such detailed information. Google has addressed this by using end-to-end encryption for all log data. This means that only the user or someone they specifically trust can read the files. Not even Google has the key to look at the logs. To keep things clean, the server automatically deletes these files after one year. Interestingly, users cannot manually delete the logs during those twelve months. This rule exists to stop hackers from erasing their tracks after breaking into a phone.

While ordinary users may not use these logs at all, it's a critical feature for people with high-risk jobs. Journalists, activists, and the development communities are often in the hotbed of cyberattacks. In that regard, a permanent, immutable system record will be a great countermeasure. It gives security experts a chance to check what went wrong during an attack. In any case, Google is making this feature entirely optional. Users can skip it on setup if they do not want the phone to have their records that way.

This is part of the greater rollout for Android 16 in 2026. The log is now being tested on some tablets and flagship phones, with a wider distribution coming soon. This "black box" approach shows that, as threats become more complex, Google is getting serious about security. The company has enabled users to perform their very own version of digital forensics, giving users back control over their personal data.