Google has announced plans to roll out a new set of business and security features for phones running Android 2.2 in an effort to increase adoption of the Android platform in corporate environments. The new features are tied to Google Apps, and it’s not entirely clear if some or all of the features may be available to users who aren’t using their phones in a corporate environment.
The update will allow IT manager to remotely wipe data from lost or stolen phones, lock idle devices after they’ve been inactive for a set period of time, require device passwords for each phone, and set specific requirements for passwords (such as minimum length, or the need to use numbers and letters).
IT managers can also remove access to corporate information and settings when an employee leaves a company.
The new services will be free for businesses using Google Apps Premier and Education Editions.
While the password requirement features might not matter all that much to individual consumers, I certainly wouldn’t mind being able to remotely lock and/or wipe my phone from Gmail or another Google service. But Google hasn’t made any announcements regarding consumer oriented versions of these features.
