Also: The best Android phones right now When lockdown mode is enabled, fingerprint sensors, facial recognition, and voice recognition do not function. Once you’ve activated lockdown mode, the only way to gain access to your device is either via PIN, Password, or Pattern. This feature was added because biometric authentication can be circumvented. How many times have you seen this scenario on television? A bad actor gets their hands on a victim’s phone and uses their fingerprint or face to unlock their device (sometimes with the victim out cold). Had that person enabled lockdown mode, that malicious ne’er-do-well wouldn’t have had such an easy time breaking into their device. Also: How to keep the Android lock screen from displaying sensitive content Of course, I hope you never find yourself in such a situation, but should that occur, at least you know there’s a way to protect your data.
The caveat to lockdown mode
One thing you must know about lockdown mode is that it’s a one-time thing. In other words, once you’ve enabled it, it will immediately be disabled upon successful login. That means you have to re-enable lockdown mode every time you want to use it. The way I look at this feature is that any time I think I might be venturing into an untrustworthy situation (which, truth be told, rarely happens for me), I enable it before moving ahead with my plan. Also: 7 things you didn’t realize your phone can do With that said, let’s enable lockdown mode. I’ll be demonstrating it on Android 12, but the feature should work all the way back to version 9 of the OS.
How to enable lockdown mode on Android
One some Android phones, you might have to take these steps first. To enable lockdown mode, do the following:
How to use Android’s lockdown mode
Now that you’ve enabled lockdown mode (if necessary), it’s time to use it.
Also: 5 hidden Samsung Galaxy camera features you should be using The only way for you to access your device is by way of your PIN, Pattern, or Password. Unlock your device, and lockdown mode is disabled. And that’s all there is to using lockdown mode. If you ever believe you might be venturing into an environment where you either won’t feel 100%, or you’re unsure if you can trust those you’ll be around, I highly recommend enabling lockdown mode before you do find yourself in such a situation.
