Paul Jones / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A document from Samsung confirms that One UI 9 will limit the number of incorrect PIN, password or pattern attempts to just 13.
- This is part of the recent changes in Android 17, although Samsung’s implementation is much stricter.
- Samsung will ignore repeated attempts with the same password or PIN, and such attempts will not count towards the overall failed attempt count.
We have all been in situations where we entered our PIN android phoneLock screen incorrectly. The Android platform used to be quite lenient with the number of incorrect PIN attempts allowed on the lock screen. As we recently learned, Google has I tightened the screws a bit with Android 17.. These changes are expected to arrive in One UI 9, although Samsung is taking a more aggressive approach.
According to a supporting document Released over the weekend, One UI 9 is adopting “stronger lock screen security measures” for consecutive incorrect lock screen pattern, PIN, or password attempts. While Android 17 reduced the number of attempts from 1,800 over a five-year period to just 20, One UI 9 limits it to just 13, and users will have to wait 24 hours if they get it wrong 12 times (via SammyGuru).
The table above was published by Samsung and specifies how many failed lock screen pattern, PIN or password attempts Galaxy device owners have before being forced to perform a factory reset. Samsung also clarifies that it will use smart counting to exclude consecutive incorrect attempts for the same password/PIN from the failed attempt count.
Galaxy device owners in One UI 9 will also see precise details about the number of attempts available, along with what the company calls guidance text, when the user makes multiple incorrect attempts. Lastly, the presence of the factory reset protection lock on Android devices means that users will need to re-authenticate their Samsung and Google accounts after the factory reset.
It’s worth remembering that even if you use only biometric authentication, Android security protocols require users to enter their PIN, password, or pattern every 72 hours. With this in mind, Samsung recommends that users always remember their lock screen credentials, particularly with these new measures adopted in One UI 9.
The recently introduced Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8 will be the first to run Android 17 based software out of the box. However, you’ll have to wait until early August to get your hands on them.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before publishing.
