Google and Microsoft will add a "kill-switch" feature to their Android and Windows phone operating systems.
The feature is a method of making a handset completely useless if it is stolen, rendering a theft pointless.
Authorities have been urging tech firms to take steps to help curb phone theft and argued that a kill-switch feature can help resolve the problem.
Apple and Samsung, two of biggest phone makers offer a similar feature on some of their devices.
The move by Google and Microsoft means that kill switch will now be a part of the three most popular phone operating systems in the world.
In attempt to tackle the issue, policymakers have launched an initiative called Secure our Smartphones.
A part of it, they have urged technology firms to take steps to make it less attractive for robbers to steal mobile devices.
"An activated kill switch converts an easy-to-sell, high-value multimedia device into a jumble of plastic and glass, drastically reducing its street value," the report by New York Attorney General said.
Authorities claim that Apple's feature - dubbed Activation Lock - which it introduced on all iPhones running the iOS 7 operating system in September last year, has helped reduce theft substantiall
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