Google released the much-anticipated Android 12 OS a couple of months ago, but it is still not available on all devices. Right now only the eligible Google Pixel devices and a few Samsung Galaxy models are lucky enough to receive the Android 12 update officially. In the meantime, Android 12 users are reporting a number of bugs or issues on a daily basis. Now, some reports are coming out that Android 12 offers a 2G deactivation service for security reasons.
Although Android 12 includes plenty of improvements, the 2G kill switch seems to have appeared out of nowhere. As per a tweet by Mishaal Rahman, the EFF has spotted the option to disable 2G modem on smartphones. Google somehow quietly rolled out this new feature by the end of 2021 to the Android 12 OS without any kind of announcement or advertisement.
It basically allows Android 12 users to improve the security of their devices by immediately turning off 2G connectivity from their carriers. Some regions of the world, such as the USA, have shut down 2G connectivity, and 3G is just around the corner. Despite this, mobile devices do have 2G modems and try to connect to nearby 2G signals, which is a major problem.
Considering the latest smartphones, 2G connectivity is not only slow, but also ridiculously vulnerable. The security layers or encryption between 2G signals and devices these days are too weak to use. The use of 4G and 5G is highly recommended right now since they offer better signal response & security encryption.
If you are interested in using this feature, go to the Settings menu, then tap on Network and Internet, then tap on SIMs, then turn on the Allow 2G toggle.
