Smartphones are carrying a lot of private information that must be protected from the sight of strangers and onlookers. On Android smartphones, the lock screen prevents the pressure of buttons and icons when you keep it in your pocket and blocks access to those who are not authorized, so as to keep personal apps, social and chat safe. To avoid, however, that some stranger can unlock it easily, we see in this guide which protection and screen lock is most effective on Android, so that we can only enable the most secure and suitable one for our needs. Usually at least two unlocking methods are always configured, so as to be able to act even if one of the two fails to "misfire" (failure to read the fingerprint or face details for example).
READ ALSO: Change lock screen on Android, best 10 lockscreen apps
Screen protection and lock for Android
Below we have collected all the unlocking systems available on a modern Android smartphone. We have listed from the safest to the least safe, so that we can immediately choose the one that suits us.To access the security options, go to the Settings app then in the Security section -> Set up screen lock ; on other smartphones we can find Lock screen and password as a separate menu in Settings .
Block with facial recognition
This is one of the most recent locks, since it allows you to lock the phone and unlock it exclusively with the details of our face (the front camera will be used for the purpose). Once configured, all we have to do is "look" at our locked smartphone for 1-2 seconds, so we can unlock and use it.
The system is quite precise, especially with very powerful front cameras, but we may still encounter difficulties in accessing if we were wearing accessories on the face (glasses, makeup etc.) or if we were wearing a hat or scarf. That's why as a backup this system involves the use of unlocking with a classic PIN or password.
Lock with fingerprints
One of the safest and fastest methods to lock the phone involves the use of fingerprints, which can be acquired through a special reader positioned on the back or front of the device. Once the phone is locked, to be able to unlock it, simply place your finger on the fingerprint reader to unlock it. It is currently one of the fastest and most practical methods, which is why it is still very present on devices.
The latest evolution of the fingerprint reader provides for unlocking directly from the screen: you place your finger on the screen and, through an integrated ultrasound reader, the phone will unlock.
Also in this case there is a backup unlocking system (password, PIN or sequence), so that you can access the phone even in case of problems with the reader.
Password lock
The password option is can be a word or an alphanumeric code that protects the Android smartphone from unauthorized use. The password must be at least four characters long and contain at least one letter. The advantage of using a password is that there are as many characters as possible becoming almost impossible to guess if you start using exclamation marks, asterisks or other symbols.
Again, you need to write a complex and strong password, which has more than 6 characters and is easy to remember. Obviously, however, the longer and more secure the password, the longer it will take to write it every time the device screen is turned on. In this regard, we recommend you read our guide on How to generate a strong Password that you remember .
Lock with PIN
The PIN is nothing but a 4 to 16 digit number to be entered to unlock the screen and access the Android device. It is very similar to the ATM PIN or to the SIM card PIN.
Obviously, the longer the PIN, the more difficult it is for someone to guess it even if it is also longer to enter it every time you want to open the smartphone to start an application or to make a phone call.
Block with sequence
The blocking sequence is the fastest and most used protection system on Android devices. The blocking sequence requires you to connect some points on the screen with your finger, so that you can draw a previously set mark.
Unless someone sees unlocking the phone, it is really difficult to guess the right sequence among the many possibilities. You can create a sequence made up of 4 connected points, up to 9. The blocking sequence has a couple of additional settings: you can enable the " visible sequence " so that you can see the points on the screen in order to trace them with your finger; this option makes unlocking easier even if it also makes it less secure.
The second option is the tactile reaction that makes the phone vibrate when you touch the screen (personally I recommend disabling it also to save battery).
Security tips on Android
The type of protection to choose certainly also depends on the suspension time within which Android must block the device. You can choose a time of up to 30 minutes of non-use and you can also choose to lock the system as soon as we press the power button to lock the screen (very safe method in our opinion).For maximum security, the best combination is fingerprint reader + password, but if we also want to take advantage of facial recognition, remember to always set a password or a security PIN. The least sure is certainly the release with sequence, since it takes very little to guess the right sequence (someone who spies on us behind for example). Furthermore, the sequence almost creates the imprint of the movement on the glass of the phone: in backlight, it becomes visible or intuitive.
In the security settings, there is also the possibility to perform Android encryption to encrypt the phone which means further protect accounts, downloaded information, application data and all the rest. Encryption is therefore an increase in security that can be activated and requires, for unlocking, PIN or password (which are the same as those set in the security of the device. However, keep in mind that you can activate the Smart Lock function on Android to keep the phone unlocked at home and in your pocket .
Conclusions
In general, any kind of security is better than nothing! If you just want to protect your phone from relatives or onlookers, just use the fingerprint reader with a fairly secure backup system such as a PIN or password. On modern phones we can also use facial unlocking, but in some cases it has proven to be vulnerable (someone has managed to unlock phones with photographs or with 3D masks of the subject!). On the other hand, if you have reason to think that someone might be interested in the data on your phone, probably not even encryption can offer such strong protection that it is invulnerable, better then install an anti-theft device on Android .READ ALSO: How to protect yourself from the security risks of smartphones .
