Today, we use our cell phones for almost everything: from shopping online to checking medical reports, from email and social media to managing our online banking. Given the amount of sensitive information we store on our phones, it’s important to make sure you’re using a secure unlock code that properly protect our information.
Considering how many times we use our mobile phone each day, it can sometimes be tiring to have to unlock the device every time we want to view something on the Internet or send a message. Fortunately, Android has a function that saves us from the process of unlocking the mobile dozens of times every day. Below we will explain how it works and what you need to do to activate it.
The function is particularly useful when we are at home or in other trusted places
In the settings of Security and Privacy On Android we find a function that allows us to extend the time our mobile remains unlocked in certain situations. We are talking about Extend unlocka feature formerly known as Smart lock.
As the name suggests, this function is responsible for extending the time that our mobile remains unlocked, so that we do not have to enter the lock code or use the fingerprint every time we have to use the mobile. Of course, the mobile will remain unlocked for four hours maximum: after this time it will be necessary to enter the code again.
One of the advantages of this function is that we can customize it in several different ways. On the one hand, it is possible to add one or more trusted sites
In addition, we can use the body detection function so that the cell phone remains unlocked whenever we carry it with us (for example, if we carry it in our pants pocket or even in our hand). In this case, the mobile will be locked when left on a surface
Another setting available as part of this feature is trusted devices: you can add a trusted device (such as a smart watch or an activity bracelet) so that it is not necessary to enter the unlock code when the mobile phone is connected to said device.
How to activate Extend unlock in you Android
If after knowing how this feature works you are wondering how to activate it on your mobile, the steps to follow are very simple:
- Open the app Settings
- Enter the section Security and Privacy
- Click on More security and privacy
- Look for the option Extend unlock and enter your unlock code when prompted
Once in the section Extend unlock You can adjust how this feature works using the options we mentioned earlier:
- Body Detection
- Trusted sites
- Trusted devices
This is undoubtedly a very interesting function that can be very useful to save a few seconds every time we check our cell phone. Of course, it’s important to make sure you enable it in safe environments to prevent unauthorized access to our personal information.
Cover image | Ivan Linares (Xataka)
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