Samsung to include free anti-theft features on its Galaxy S5

Samsung Electronics will add two safeguards to its latest smartphone in an effort to deter rampant theft of the mobile devices nationwide, the company said. Users will be able to activate (for free) two security apps for the Galaxy S5, in an effort to deter smartphone theft.

The two anti-theft apps for the Galaxy S5 are "Find My Mobile" and "Reactivation Lock." The latter of the two is a form of a "kill switch" app - long lobbied for by law enforcement as an effective deterrent to rampant smartphone theft - which allows owners to render the phone completely unusable, remotely, or otherwise "bricks" the phone if would-be thieves attempt to reset it.

"Samsung takes the issue of smartphone theft very seriously, and we are continuing to enhance our security and anti-theft solutions," the company said in a statement.

However, don't expect every Samsung Galaxy S5 to have the ability to activate anti-theft features for free, as only Galaxy S5s sold by Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular will allow it.That's because, while smartphone manufacturers like Samsung generally support the security feature with few reservations, wireless carriers in the U.S. - and their trade association CTIA - have strongly opposed making kill switches commonplace.

Almost one in three U.S. robberies involve phone theft, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Lost and stolen mobile devices - mostly smartphones - cost consumers more than $30 billion in 2012, the agency said in a study.

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