> software can only do so much. For these security features to work, your phone's modem has to be able to communicate with the Android OS in a very specific way

> Because of this hardware requirement, the full suite of these network security tools is currently exclusive to the Pixel 10 series

How is it possible that in 2026 we're not notified by default when we connect to a cell tower with no certificate so our communications is being broadcast into the air completely unencrypted?

Like the notifications are nice, but they're not a Allow / Deny popup. When you get the popup your data could've been intercepted.

This is why you should always toggle the setting that disables 2g/3g fallback.

With 4G, for example, your device will refuse to connect fully unless the network can pass the cryptographic challenge that proves it shares the key material included in your SIM card (I know, I know, symmetric keys are not ideal). The best an attacker can hope to do in 4G+ is harvest your subscriber ID (IMSI) or deny you service while you are in range.