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Have to use pin to unlock

C

CharlesLewis

Android Enthusiast
I have set my Moto Z to unlock with both face and location, but I still have to enter my pin several times a week.

Does anyone know why this is occurring and how to eliminate it?
 
"Several times a week" rather than continuously. That suggests either an intermittent problem or a deliberate feature.

I don't use either of these methods, but for less secure unlock methods like fingerprints most android phones will ask you to use your PIN every now and then (my Pixel does once or twice a week) to confirm your identity. My laptop does this occasionally as well. Since face and location are both less secure than fingerprint I would not be at all surprised if the same applied here (in fact I'd think a lot less of Motorola they didn't do this).

My phone doesn't support face unlock at all, but its support information on what it calls "smart lock", which is a term I've seen used for unlocking when at a particular location, connected to a particular network or on your body, says that if you don't use the phone for 4 hours it will require your PIN, so it could also be something like that going on here.

If it is one of these things, they are there to supplement weak security options and I know of no way of disabling them - nor would I want to.
 
I used to know the actual number, but I've forgotten...but it's a security feature that occurs after X non-PIN unlockings. I think it's 25, but don't hold me to that! :)

So for some people it can happen every day, for others a few times a week, and for others every month or two. It all depends on how much you use your device. My Moto Z² Force prompts me about twice a week.
 
As @Hadron and others have pointed out, having to use another unlock step on occasion is just a verification measure. Biometrics are not foolproof, and individually passwords, PINs, and patterns are far from being 100% secure.

But just for your own peace of mind, go into your Settings menu and re-do all your chosen lock screen options from scratch. Then see if that makes any difference in the frequency of having to use your PIN. Or if it's just something that really bothers you, disable your lock screen entirely, keeping in mind that leaves your phone extremely vulnerable (...also, some apps such as financial services and multi-authentication services, require lock screen verification to work). With all the security and privacy issues we all have tied to our mobile devices, I consider a little extra validation on my part to be reassuring, not annoying.
 
CharlesLewis said:
I have set my Moto Z to unlock with both face and location, but I still have to enter my pin several times a week.

Does anyone know why this is occurring and how to eliminate it?
Click to expand...

Mine requires pin after boot every time. It seems to me that Fingerprint recognition on my device deteriorates. Perhaps that makes no sense, but I delete and then reset my fingerprints occasionally, and the problem goes away for a while.
 
Jon Crosby said:
Mine requires pin after boot every time. It seems to me that Fingerprint recognition on my device deteriorates. Perhaps that makes no sense, but I delete and then reset my fingerprints occasionally, and the problem goes away for a while.
Click to expand...

AFAICT that's normal. PIN or pattern unlock is required for power-on or after a restart. After that the phone should behave normally, with fingerprint and/or face unlock, etc.

As for a possible deteriorating fingerprint reader, my Huawei Mate 10 is still recognising the fingerprints instantly that I registered when I bought the phone in Feb 2018, for unlocking and mobile payment authorisations. I've also tested it, like if I try and use a finger I didn't register, the phone doesn't recognise it. I initially registered thumbs and first fingers on each hand.

I did try face unlock, but never found it reliable, and now that I have to wear a mask every time I go outside, forget it!! :D
 
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Jon Crosby said:
Mine requires pin after boot every time.
Click to expand...
That's normal; see this reply.
It seems to me that Fingerprint recognition on my device deteriorates. Perhaps that makes no sense, but I delete and then reset my fingerprints occasionally, and the problem goes away for a while.
Click to expand...
You're right--it makes no sense! :) That's because that's not what's happening. See this reply explaining what is actually happening. You're wasting your time and effort resetting your fingerprints, as that's not the problem.
 
MoodyBlues said:
You're right--it makes no sense!
smilie.png
That's because that's not what's happening. See this reply explaining what is actually happening. You're wasting your time and effort resetting your fingerprints, as that's not the problem.
Click to expand...
i

I did always assume it to be a security feature during startup, because a (toast?) message reads, 'enter pin to unlock fingerprint recognition'. But the times it doesn't work during normal operation, i get 'failed to recognize Fingerprint'. It gives me 4 or 5 failures then says 'too many attempts, enter pin to unlock fingerprint recognition'.

That's what leads me to believe that the failure is not a feature, but a malfunction. I do check that the reader and my fingers are not just dirty.
 
My fingerprint reader sometimes does not work though, and it is away from liquids all the time too. Maybe it just needs a great cleaning.
 
Jon Crosby said:
But the times it doesn't work during normal operation, i get 'failed to recognize Fingerprint'. It gives me 4 or 5 failures then says 'too many attempts, enter pin to unlock fingerprint recognition'.
Click to expand...
Oh! But you didn't mention that before. :o

I've never had that happen, but I'm quite sure you're right that it's not a feature. :)

Milo and I have the same phone, and he has all sorts of issues I've never seen.

Perhaps your fingerprint reader is dirty, or you're touching it with damp hands, or soon after using hand lotion or sanitizer, etc. It could also be a hardware failure, of course, or due to your phone's age. :thinking:
 
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