My kids figured out the security PIN on my Android phone! It’s frustrating!! I want to change it to a new PIN but am unsure how to proceed and don’t want to get locked out. Can you help me out?
It’s difficult to have effective device access security when the interested parties are with you all the time! They might not have sophisticated spy cameras or AI-powered audio systems that can detect the difference in keystroke sounds, but little people have bright eyes that often don’t miss anything in their field of vision. Even when you think they’re not paying attention. It’s also entirely reasonable to expect privacy as a parent, so it is indeed time to update your security access.
The question of the moment is whether a simple 4-digit or 6-digit PIN is the best choice. Different devices have different biometric options, but if you were to switch to – or add – fingerprint or face scanning as an option, that would be more secure than a PIN. This is particularly true if your current PIN code is only 4 digits long. While there are 10,000 possible 4-digit codes, watching someone enter the code can dramatically lower the possible sequence pool to where the little monkeys could then brute force by trying code after code, even across weeks of time.
Let’s start by finding what security access options you have on your device.
SECURITY OPTIONS TO ACCESS AN ANDROID DEVICE
Go into the “Settings” app. I’m showing screens from Android 14, but earlier versions should look 99% the same, even if you’re on a relatively ancient version:
You’ve probably seen this a thousand times, but have you tried using the search feature instead of hunting for specific features and settings? I’ll search for “screen lock” to demonstrate:
There are many settings that can customize your Android experience but for our task, tap on “Screen lock” to proceed. It will show what you have set up:
You can see that I have both a PIN and a fingerprint for redundancy; I typically use the fingerprint, but the phone often subsequently prompts for the PIN in addition.
CHANGING THE PIN ON YOUR ANDROID PHONE
This brings us to the right spot to change your PIN. Tap anywhere on the bar that includes “Screen lock / PIN” and you’ll be prompted to re-enter your PIN to confirm it’s really you (we do not want the kids locking you out!). You’ll then be able to change to a new screen lock if you want:
Or you can just tap on “PIN” to enter a new PIN code. I do encourage you to consider a 6-digit code instead of a 4-digit code, however, because it does significantly improve security and make it much, much harder to guess:
Enter it again to verify it, and you’ve updated your phone!
CUSTOMIZE YOUR SCREEN LOCK EXPERIENCE
While you’re on the screen that shows “Screen lock” and “PIN”, tap on the gear icon. It will show you some options you have with these basic security options:
Here’s where you can change the speed at which the phone requires a login after the screen goes blank, something that’s often too darn fast for most users. Tap on “Lock after screen timeout” and you’ll see quite a few options:
The more yu’re worried about security, the shorter this timeout should be. Live by yourself and work from home? 30 minutes might be your best option!
One more thing to point out: Back up one level and choose “fingerprint” (if your device supports it) and you’ll see quite a few options here:
Here’s where you can enable unlock by proximity to your Android smartwatch! You can also increase or decrease the overall security level with the two options. I like to think of them as “paranoia settings”, but I am in a secure environment almost all the time, so I don’t have to worry about device security.
That’s it. Lots of ways to prevent your children from accessing your phone. Good luck!
Pro Tip: There are lots of ways to manage your Android devices and ensure the best possible experience. Learn more by checking out my extensive Android help area while you’re here too!