Google turns on encryption in Android L by default

With the introduction of Android L, the next Android version, encryption will be enabled by default. Google has announced that. The encryption keys are stored on the device itself; Google cannot therefore give the police access to Android L devices.

Android has long provided the ability to encrypt entire flash storage, but users had to manually enable it. Unlike iOS, which automatically turns on encryption the moment the user enters a passcode. With the arrival of Android L, Google is also switching to automatic encryption, the company has informed the Washington Post.

The encryption keys are only stored on the device itself, which means that Google cannot give the police or the secret service access to the data on a device. Apple was able to do that with iPhones and iPads for a long time, but on Thursday the company announced that that will come to an end: with the introduction of iOS 8, Apple can no longer bypass passcodes.