Cheap Smartlock for Android Device?

[persistentone]

Android has a nice feature named "Smartlock" that does not lock your phone when you are near a specific Bluetooth device. When you are at home, you can tie it to some device in your home that never goes off. When you are traveling, is there some cheap Bluetooth device that you could put on your keychain that might last a month on batteries that would just flag the phone that you are nearby? I realize you can use a Bluetooth headset for this purpose, but sometimes you want to turn the headset off. And you need to check a notification on the phone and do not want to hassle with a PIN or other authentication. I guess some people use a Bluetooth watch for this purpose, but there is another device I would have to charge constantly. I want simplicity.

 

[ocnbrze]

What about a cheap android watch?

 

[persistentone]

As I said in the thread, that becomes yet another device I have to manage and run through a recharge cycle. I wear a skindiver's watch that I can take in the pool or shower and not even blink. It's bombproof and runs for years without maintenance.

 

[ocnbrze]

As I said in the thread, that becomes yet another device I have to manage and run through a recharge cycle. I wear a skindiver's watch that I can take in the pool or shower and not even blink. It's bombproof and runs for years without maintenance.

Will then I don't know any other type of device other than a watch or speaker that you can use. I don't use smart lock because as I feel that it leaves my phone vulnerable. If I connect it to my watch and leave the phone unattended, it can stay unlocked and thus anybody can grab it...... not that my phone ever leaves my sight, but you never know.

 

[mikedt]

You could try Smart Lock based on location rather trying to use a BT device, e.g. your home location. I never use Smart Lock myself, but I do have a mains powered BT speaker I could use if I wanted, which doesn't require recharge cycles of course.

 

[Hadron]

You mean something like this: https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-bluetooth-trackers/

I don't know whether these things would work for that purpose (e.g. whether they maintain a sufficiently continuous connection). Otherwise a cheap fitness tracker would be the most obvious thing (doesn't even need a screen for this purpose). In the early days Fitbit used to sell one that could be clipped to clothing rather than worn, but they discontinued that long ago and I don't know whether anyone still makes such a thing. Obviously a device like this would need recharging maybe weekly rather than running for months or years the way a tracking tag can.

(Like others here, I've no experience of smart lock: I find the fingerprint sufficiently little hassle to use that it's not worth weakening security for me personally, so have never even tested it).