Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Android 14 is adding a quality-of-life feature for lock screen PIN users.
- The new feature is an auto-confirm unlock option.
- The feature can be toggled on or off.
Google has released the second developer preview of Android 14 and users are finding a variety of new features. One of those recently discovered features appears to be an “auto-confirm unlock” option that should make lock screen PIN users happy.
If you use a PIN to unlock your handset on Android 13, you usually have to input your PIN and then hit “OK” before the device will unlock. According to XDA Developers, Android 14 introduces a nice quality-of-life feature that will save you a step. If auto-confirm unlock is toggled on, it will unlock your device as soon as you enter the correct PIN, eliminating the need to tap the OK button.
It may be a small change, but it’s a welcomed one. And if you’d prefer to tap the OK button, you can toggle the feature off again.
This feature works similarly to the existing lock screen feature found in Samsung’s One UI. But there is one crucial difference that favors Google’s approach to the concept.
On One UI, the auto-confirm feature can be enabled on four-digit PINs, while Android 14 will require at least six digits before it can be enabled. While this distinction may not seem like much, it should make your device more secure. With those extra digits, there are a greater number of possible combinations, which should make it harder for someone to brute force their way into your phone.
Since Samsung already has its own system built out, it likely won’t take much work for the company to make the same requirement. The change could even come with the release of Samsung’s One UI 6 update, which should roll out later this year.
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