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Android's Smart Lock Won't Ask You For a Password Until You Set Your Phone Down

Posted by samzenpus on from the staying-on dept.

jfruh writes Nothing confronts you with how addicted you are to your phone more than constantly taking it out of your pocket and entering your passcode over and over again to unlock. But without fanfare, Google is releasing an Android update that might solve the problem: a "smart lock" that can figure out if your phone has been set down since the last time you unlocked it. As long as it stays on your person, you won't need to re-enter your password.

7 of 127 comments (clear)

  1. Sooo .. by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Informative

    If your are carrying your unlocked phone, and you get mugged and hand over your phone, then the mugger now doesn't have to enter a passcode until he/she puts it down.

    Q. If your Android phone is unlocked, how easy is it to change the passcode?

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    1. Re:Sooo .. by amck · · Score: 3, Informative

      Typically the power button automatically locks the phone, making it trivial to lock the phone in a hurry.

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    2. Re:Sooo .. by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 5, Informative

      Q. If your Android phone is unlocked, how easy is it to change the passcode?

      You have to enter the old passcode before entering a new one, same thing to disable it altogether.

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    3. Re: Sooo .. by Melbourne+Pete · · Score: 5, Informative

      I was moving at speed in a tuk tuk in Phnom Penh when my phone was stolen out of my hands by two guys on a scooter. Not sure how likely that is for most people, but you did ask.

    4. Re:Sooo .. by TuringTest · · Score: 3, Informative

      So, you've never encountered a site with a "I've forgotten my password" option that sends you a mail to log in?

      Anyway, it's bad enough that a thief can access all data in the logged in service even if they can't change the password.

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    5. Re: Sooo .. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      I've seen phones snatched out of people's hands by passing cyclists a good number of times where I live.

      Phone theft may sound rare, but it isn't uncommon, and thieves know that they can just grab the phone, stuff it in a tinfoil envelope, let it sit for a week or two until the battery dies, disassemble it, then sell the screen, case, and other parts for a good amount of cash. Same thing happens with bicycles. The thieves know not to sell the bike. Instead, they disassemble it, then haul the pieces to another city or state to sell. That Shimano Dura-Ace shifting set doesn't have any serial numbers, and a lot of cyclists will buy it without asking any questions if the price is right.

    6. Re: Sooo .. by Afty0r · · Score: 5, Informative

      This is one of the most common forms of phone theft these days - not the traditional "violent mugging" but the most basic form of physical robbery - grab it quickly out of someone's unsuspecting hand as they walk down the street focussed on their phone and not the world around them. Then run or bike away. I haven't known someone have their phone stolen in a "mugging-style" robbery in many years, but I personally know of four people (in London) who have had their phone stolen by this method recently.