lockscreen - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Mar

Security Flaw Allows Sony Xperia Z Lockscreen Bypass

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in News, Sony, Xperia Z

You'd think the concept of a lockscreen would be simple. It, you know, locks the phone. Several OEMs have still ended up with bugs that allow users to get around the lockscreen completely. The newest such vulnerability has been discovered in Sony's flagship, the Xperia Z. Just a few simple steps, and anyone can gain full access to the device.

In the video, you can see one Scott Reed demonstrating the problem. By pulling up the emergency dialer from the lockscreen you can enter the USSD code *#*#7378423#*#*. That code opens up the device's services menu. From there, it's a simple matter of triggering the NFC Diag Test, which allows you to press the home button and actually get to the homescreen.

Oct

Tip: Using WidgetLocker? It Has A Secret 'Experimental' Settings Menu, Too

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News, Tips & Tutorials

Last Updated: October 23rd, 2012

Yesterday, we highlighted the hidden "labs" feature in Nova Launcher. Turns out that's not the only of TeslaCoil's apps with a secret menu - popular lockscreen replacement app WidgetLocker has a similar feature, except it's called "experimental." For all intents and purposes, though, it's the same thing.

It's also activated the same way: simply head into WL's settings menu and hold volume down for 1-2 seconds. Just like with Nova, you'll see a toast notification to let you know that the new menu was successfully unlocked. To disable it, hold volume up for 1-2 seconds. Easy peasy.

Inside this hidden area, you'll find some pretty neat features, many of which are in place to reduce the likelihood of the stock lockscreen showing up instead of WidgetLocker's custom interface.

Jun

Getting To Know Android 4.1, Part 1 - The Basics: Slide Unlock, Software Buttons, And New Icons

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Features, Getting To Know Android, Jelly Bean 4.1, News

Last Updated: August 10th, 2012

The new version of Android is out, it's real, and yours truly has a (mostly) working copy. That can only mean one thing: Getting To Know Android is back!

The title may not rhyme anymore, but it's still home to the most in-depth look at the next version of Android on the internet. That's right, the world's most OCD changelog is here to point out every polished pixel of Android 4.1: Jelly Bean.

The usual GTKA caveats apply: This is beta code (the Jelly Bean preview from I/O, in fact) and subject to change. Plus I've got it running on a phone it isn't even meant to run on, so we won't be too hard on it.

Dec

MIUI Gets Into The Lockscreen Game, Releases MiLocker To The Android Market

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Looking to spruce your lockscreen up a bit? The MIUI Team is bringing a new flavor to the lockscreen arena, simply called MiLocker.

MiLocker looks to compete with offerings such as WidgetLocker and GO Locker as your lockscreen replacement, and after spending just a few minutes with it, I can say that it's quite nice - enough so that it will most likely become my primary lockscreen replacement (at least for a while). There are already several nice themes to choose from, several of which either duplicate the Android 4.0 lockscreen or add additional functionality (like shortcuts to phone and messaging along with the camera and unlock features) to it.

Nov

Google Snags A New Lockscreen Patent, Could Mean New Features For Future Versions Of Android

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Android OS, News

Who's ready for some Friday morning hotness? Alright, it may not be that hot, but probable new features are always welcome in my book. Looks like the Big Goog has been awarded a new lockscreen patent, which could bring some new features to our good buddy pattern lock.

Pattern lock is no stranger to Android; in fact, it has been part of the mix since the beginning. With this new patent, though, the old dog may be learning a couple of new tricks, like custom gestures to launch specific apps.

In response to detection of the touch gesture, a particular action is executed on the mobile device while the mobile device stays locked.

Nov

Interactive MIUI Mario Lockscreen Can Unlock Your Phone (But Not World 9)

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Applications, Development, News

In what is undoubtedly one of the coolest mods I've seen in months, developer picard666 has released an interactive Mario lockscreen for MIUI. So awesome, in fact, that words can't properly describe it. Take a look at the "diagram":

The top cloud shows the current time, and the two clouds below show calls and messages (left and right, respectively). To unlock into calls or messages, you take control of Mario and have to make him hit the corresponding coin box - a coin pops out (optionally with the accompanying sound), then your phone launches the appropriate app. To unlock normally, just have him jump into the pipe to the right of the boxes.

Oct

Apple Granted Slide-To-Unlock Patent, Bearing On Android Yet To Be Seen

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Legal, News

Well, it happened - the slide-to-unlock patent Apple has been requesting was granted this morning by the US Patent & Trademark Office, meaning almost any device in America using a sliding unlock mechanism is now infringing on Apple's patent unless otherwise ruled.

While the timing may seem a bit suspicious, Apple originally filed for the patent in 2005. Have a look at this excerpt from the granted patent document:

A device with a touch-sensitive display may be unlocked via gestures performed on the touch-sensitive display. The device is unlocked if contact with the display corresponds to a predefined gesture for unlocking the device.

Oct

GO Dev Teams Releases GO Locker To The Market - A Lockscreen Replacement To Compliment GO Launcher EX

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

If you're a GO Launcher EX user and the recently updated WidgetLocker isn't your thing, then you may want to check out GO Locker to get your lockscreen mod fix. The initial release hit the Market earlier today -- I took a few minutes to play with it, and, while it's not as polished as WidgetLocker, it's still a very nice option. The fact that it integrates directly into GO Launcher EX is quite nice, too; of course, this could also be a negative since it can't be used as a standalone app.

Even if you're already a WidgetLocker fan, GO Locker is still definitely worth checking out -- especially when you consider the price.

Oct

WidgetLocker Gets A Full Makeover, Brings ICS, Honeycomb, And Sense 3 Unlock Sliders

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

WidgetLocker is no stranger to the spotlight -- it's easily the most popular lockscreen replacement app on the Market. With good reason, too: it's highly customizable and allows you actually make good use of the otherwise useless lockscreen.

TeslaCoil Software, the creative minds behind WidgetLocker, pushed the newest version of the app to the Market just a bit ago, and with it came some really nice features to an already incredible app, like the ICS, Honeycomb, and Sense 3 Unlock sliders -- and they all work perfectly.

Update: It looks like this update also brought support for Honeycomb tablets. Yay!

If you haven't already given WidgetLocker a shot, there's no better time to pick it up than now.

Oct

Ice Cream Sandwich Feature Closer Look - Face Unlock Keeps Prying Eyes From Your Phone Like Never Before

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

If you find PIN codes or gesture patterns too predictable to keep your phone secure, Ice Cream Sandwich has the ultimate solution: face unlock.

Face unlock utilizes your phone's front-facing camera to "recognize" your face. If anyone else looks into the camera, they will be denied access. Simple as that. Not only is this a nice option to have for everyday use, but I could imagine it being integrated into mobile security apps as well, ensuring that no one but you could get into your phone and see potentially sensitive data.

In tonight's demo, face unlock experienced quite a hiccup - it didn't recognize the face of the presenter, who was also the phone's owner.