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LockScreen - Do you use a PIN/Pattern/Password at all?

I actually just started using the pattern lock today. I dabbled with it earlier this year, but I didn't like the inconvenience. Then I read an article where they dropped phones in various cities across North America to see what people did when they found them. Most of the time, people looked through some files that looked to be fairly confidential. After reading this article today, I decided to use a pattern lock on my phone and tablet.

I currently set it to activate immediately upon the screen turning off because I want to get used to the pattern lock. I'll probably change it later this week to have some delay for convenience sake.
 
I use pattern unlock. Mainly because, I tend to pocket dial or alot more. I don't know how but with now lockscreen, after a while alot of settings change while it is in my pocket, lol
 
Yes, I use a PIN lock for my phone that activates after several minutes of non-use. i do because I have nosy co-workers. Its none of their business whats on my device.

but mainly i use it so not to mistakenly press call or other actions if i happen to hit the screen unintentionally.
 
I used to not lock my phone, but then I switched to a pattern lock. It really has nothing to do with security, though.

Basically, I like the slide-to-unlock because it's not real security, but it prevents things from accidentally getting pressed. The problem is that on the Galaxy Nexus slide-to-unlock always has haptic feedback, even if you turn global haptic feedback off. There is no way to turn this slide-to-unlock haptic feedback, even if rooted. Yes, I've Googled the problem. Lots of people with the problem. Nobody with solutions.

What I found is that with the screen completely unlocked, if I was walking listening to music and pressing the volume button to turn the volume up or down, it would wake up the screen and then it was more likely that I might accidentally touch the screen too and turn off the music or launch an application or call someone.

So my compromise is to use a very simple pattern with pattern unlock. Annoying but my best option.
 
What depresses me about that article isn't people snooping into folders foolishly labeled "passwords" or "bank info." What depresses me is the return rate, which won't go up if you lock your phone.

I found an iPhone in a rental car once, and my wife and I immediately went into the phone to figure out whom it belonged to, called her up, and arranged to return the phone to her. If she had locked the phone, returning it wouldn't be so easy.

That said, if she had had a folder on the main screen of her iPhone called "passwords," I'd definitely look at it--not so I could break into her stuff or do anything malicious--only because I'd be curious what she uses for passwords. Do people still use dumb passwords like password, for example?
 
aysiu said:
What depresses me about that article isn't people snooping into folders foolishly labeled "passwords" or "bank info." What depresses me is the return rate, which won't go up if you lock your phone.

I found an iPhone in a rental car once, and my wife and I immediately went into the phone to figure out whom it belonged to, called her up, and arranged to return the phone to her. If she had locked the phone, returning it wouldn't be so easy.

That said, if she had had a folder on the main screen of her iPhone called "passwords," I'd definitely look at it--not so I could break into her stuff or do anything malicious--only because I'd be curious what she uses for passwords. Do people still use dumb passwords like password, for example?
Click to expand...

Okay wizeguy! H O W did you just guess my Android Forum Password ("password") xD?

Kidding. But you have some good points. Sadly it can go either way ..id probably consider my phone as a lost cause and have the phone service deactivated if I lose mine...but id still rather use a lock code to inconvenience the potential snooping.
 
My phone is either in my pocket or my hand 99.999% of the time, but I still try security once in a while. Then I need it for something else, reach for it, am surprised and annoyed by having to beg my way into my own phone and turn the damn security off... until a new post about security appears.

An old question I never asked: is there an app that lets me use a simple hardware button combo for security?
 
jefboyardee said:
My phone is either in my pocket or my hand 99.999% of the time, but I still try security once in a while. Then I need it for something else, reach for it, am surprised and annoyed by having to beg my way into my own phone and turn the damn security off... until a new post about security appears.

An old question I never asked: is there an app that lets me use a simple hardware button combo for security?
Click to expand...

I sometimes feel that way too! I do sometimes, when i know i am going to be using the device extensively, disable the pin for a time being.

Then, when i know i am going to be busy for days on in, i activate it again.

But mainly i like it basically to keep from mistakenly hitting some app or call function .
 
Rico ANDROID said:
Okay wizeguy! H O W did you just guess my Android Forum Password ("password") xD?

Kidding. But you have some good points. Sadly it can go either way ..id probably consider my phone as a lost cause and have the phone service deactivated if I lose mine...but id still rather use a lock code to inconvenience the potential snooping.
Click to expand...

Pfft. I've known your password for about 3 months now.
p4ssw0rd

As for security, I use a pattern lock. For site passwords, I've been slowly moving over to an app that a co-worker showed me. It's called KeePass. So even if someone gets my phone and can't break my pattern lock (which is more than 6 dots) and then gets the genius idea to pull out my SD card and read it, all they'll see are my ringtones, my NANDroid backups (which are also protected by pattern lock), some pics and audio books, and a folder called 'passwords'. In it is a 256 bit encrypted list of passwords. Which, if I remember correctly, 256 bit encryption would take a super computer an eon to decrypt. And my password for that file is 12 characters long. So, to anyone thinking they're going to steal my phone and my identity with it: Have fun. LOL
 
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