Pattern Locks Are Unsafe: Secure Your Samsung Galaxy A14 4G Phone Now with These Tips

Pattern locks have been available for about as long as people can remember, and they have been hugely popular with people thanks to how easy it is to simply swipe your screen and unlock your smartphone, as against, say, keying in the 4-digit PIN/ 6-digit PIN. However, pattern locks are easy to crack, and today, we bring you all you want to know about pattern locks and how to create a hard pattern lock. Further to this, we also tell you how to move beyond pattern locks and what to do in case you forgot the hard pattern lock you just set and are unable to unlock your smartphone.

Part 1: What You Need to Know About Pattern Locks

Pattern lock is an Android-only feature that makes it easy for users to have a modicum of security on their smartphones. Most users do not prefer using and remembering a PIN to unlock the smartphone. Creating a pattern makes it easier, somehow.

There is a 9-point grid on which you swipe your finger from point to point, in any direction, and when you take your finger off, that pattern you swiped becomes the key to unlock your smartphone.

Pattern locks were exceedingly common only a few years ago, and they are not recommended for use any longer due to concerns (mentioned later in the article).

1.1: Popularity and Usage

Old habits die hard, or so they say, right? That’s because it is true. We are creatures of habit, and pattern locks have been around for a long, long time. We are accustomed to pattern locks. So, even with even easier technologies such as fingerprint recognition and face recognition, we tend to gravitate towards the familiar old pattern lock.

The only thing is, there is a reason why pattern locks are no longer the preferred option to use for unlocking your smartphones. As it happens, that reason is security, and it can be very easy for humans to take a swipe (pardon the pun) at your pattern lock. And guess what? The research conducted suggests that they would get it right with an unsettling accuracy.

1.2: Advantages and Drawbacks

With on-the-go lifestyles, our smartphones have become indispensable and contain some of the most sensitive aspects of our lives – IDs, credit and debit cards in digital wallets, photo and video memories, business documents – you name it, the smartphones have it, on the go. This has opened our lives up to the public at large, and if someone steals our smartphone or, best case, finds it, the only barrier preventing them from being privy to all that wealth of our sensitive information is that screen lock – the pattern lock that we set on our smartphones. That’s it – the single pattern lock stands between malicious actors and our data. You might be beginning to realize just how crazy this is.

Advantages of Pattern Locks

There are two advantages to using pattern locks. One, they are better than nothing. Two, they are easy to use. And that’s about it. There is no third advantage to pattern locks. We might think we set a hard pattern lock that nobody could guess, but, as research proves, we might be thinking too low of human prowess.

Disadvantages of Pattern Locks

Security, or rather, the lack of it, is the lone disadvantage of using a pattern lock. What good is a pattern lock that can be easily deciphered? Sure, they are easy to use, and they are better than not having anything, but would you really want to protect your life’s data with something that could be, as researchers found out, breached in under 5 attempts? We don’t think you do!

The research found that 64% of test subjects who were shown videos of people unlocking their phones could correctly guess a 6-point pattern lock, that too after viewing the video only once! That number shot up to 80% if they were allowed to see the video again. That is simply astounding and a nightmare for security. When it comes to PINs, only 11% could guess a 6-digit PIN after viewing the unlocking video once, and that number shot up to 27% when they could see the video two times.

Part 2: How To Create a Hard Pattern Lock (Including Remembering Complex Patterns)

Now, if you must continue using a pattern lock, let’s help you know how to create a hard pattern lock that would not be as easy to decipher as easy pattern locks. For that, you should know how people use pattern locks, the kind of pattern locks they create, and the ones that are the most commonly used pattern locks. That way, you can avoid those fallacies and create a hard pattern lock for your smartphone.

2.1: The Pattern Locks People Use Most Commonly

Marte Loge, an M.Sc. Computer Science student, gave a presentation on pattern locks at DEFCON 23 and made a bold claim. She said, “Tell me who you are, and I will tell you your lock pattern.”

She presented the following statistics to support her claim:

• - In her research, she found that 77% of people started with one of the 4 corners when creating a pattern lock.
• - 44% of people started with the top-left dot and 15% with the top-right, while the bottom-left was preferred by 14% of her test subjects.
• - People set 5-point pattern locks on average, and most users were content with a 4-point pattern.

These are some of the most common pattern locks people create:

• - patterns in the shapes of alphabets,
• - patterns in the shapes of numerals,
• - patterns in any other simple shape, such as square, triangle, star, etc.

To understand how this is a security nightmare, the possible combinations for a 4-point pattern are a measly 1624, whereas by adding just 1 more point to the pattern and creating a 5-point pattern, the number of possible combinations becomes 7152, an increase of 5528 combinations. In stark contrast, creating a 9-point pattern would give you over 140,000 possible combinations!

2.2: How to Create a Hard Pattern Lock

Knowing what most people do when creating a pattern lock, it becomes easy to avoid those mistakes and instead create a hard pattern lock for oneself.

• - Do not start creating a pattern lock from any of the 4 corners of the grid.
• - Never use your first initial as your pattern lock.
• - Never use the shape of a numeral as your pattern lock.
• - Use all 9 points on the grid to create your pattern lock, and contrary to popular belief, you can go over the connecting lines several times, creating a hard pattern lock that would not be as easy for people to decipher!

Part 3: Going Beyond Pattern Locks

You might think that now that you have set a hard pattern lock, you are good to go. Hardly. Technology has evolved, so have methods to break into your device.

Step 1: Set a 6-digit PIN

The minimum you should do today is set a 6-digit PIN to unlock your phone. Consider this a necessary investment into the safety of your data residing on your smartphone.

Step 2: Use Fingerprint Recognition (or Face Recognition on Apple Devices)

All modern smartphones released over the last decade have come with fingerprint recognition. Using fingerprint recognition requires you to set a 6-digit PIN and then set a fingerprint to unlock your device. You can set additional fingerprints, too.

This way, your device is the most secure it can be today. In case your fingerprint is not recognized for any reason, the phone falls back on the 6-digit PIN that you can enter and unlock your phone.

While face recognition is available on both Android and Apple devices, it is truly secure only on Apple devices. This is why Apple iPhones released after the iPhone X in 2017 have come only with Face ID. They fall back on a minimum 6-digit PIN (called Passcode in Apple world) to unlock in case the face does not get recognized in the first attempt.

Part 4: How To Unlock Phone If Hard Pattern Lock Forgotten

Just in case you set a hard pattern lock and promptly forgot that abstruse pattern you just set, we have a tool for you to quickly unlock your phone in case of a forgotten hard pattern lock: Wondershare Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock.

Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android)

Remove the Hard Pattern Lock on Your Samsung Galaxy A14 4G If You Forgot!

• Remove all Android screen locks (PIN/pattern/fingerprints/face ID) in minutes.
• Bypass the FRP lock of Samsung without a PIN or Google account.
• Everyone can handle the lock screen without any tech knowledge.
• Provide specific removal solutions to promise good success rate.

4,008,671 people have downloaded it

Download the latest version of Dr.Fone from the Wondershare website and launch the app.

Step 1: Click Android under Toolbox > Screen Unlock.

Step 2: Click Unlock Android Screen.

Step 3: Select your device manufacturer.

Step 4: Prepare your device to unlock the screen.

When the greyed Next button becomes available, click it and wait for your device to be unlocked.

All data on the Samsung Galaxy A14 4G device is wiped under this method. Select Samsung phones may be unlocked without data loss. Check this list for devices that may be unlocked without data loss.

Closing Words

Whether it is an easy pattern lock or a hard pattern lock, the fact is that pattern locks are antiquated and a security nightmare. A minimum 6-digit PIN must be used, and using fingerprint recognition is the preferred way to go for Android devices. Using fingerprint recognition will require that users create a 6-digit PIN. On Apple devices launched after 2017, there is Face ID, Apple’s marketing term for face recognition. If you did indeed still set a hard pattern lock, only to promptly forget it, use Wondershare Dr.Fone – Screen Unlock (Android) to seamlessly unlock your phone right now.

How to Unlock Samsung Galaxy A14 4G Pattern Lock if Forgotten? 6 Ways

“How to unlock pattern lock on my Android phone? I have changed my pattern lock and can’t seem to remember it now!”

Lately, we have got lots of feedback and queries like this from our readers who like to perform a pattern unlock on their devices. It doesn’t matter if you have forgotten the password/pattern of your Android device or would like to access someone else’s phone, there are plenty of ways to know how to unlock the pattern on an Android phone. In this comprehensive guide, we will let you know about 6 different ways to perform pattern unlock without any trouble.

Part 1: How to Unlock Android Phone Pattern Lock with Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android)?

If you want to unlock the pin, pattern, password, fingerprint, or any other kind of lock on an Android device, then simply take the assistance of Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android) . It is a highly useful and advanced application that can let you move past the lock screen on your Android phone without losing data (if your phone model is not Samsung or LG devices in this list , it will erase the data after unlocking the screen).

Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android)

Remove Pattern Locks on Android Screen at Ease

• Remove 4 screen lock types - pattern, PIN, password & fingerprints.
• Bypass Android FRP lock without a PIN or Google account.
• Unlock mainstream Android brands like Samsung, Huawei, LG, Xiaomi, etc.
• No tech knowledge is needed. Everybody can handle it.

4,008,669 people have downloaded it

To learn how to unlock pattern lock using Dr.Fone, follow these steps

• Step 1. Install Dr.Fone and launch it to perform pattern unlock. From the home screen, select the “Screen Unlock” option.

• Step 2. Connect your device to the system. Once it is detected, click on the “Unlock Android Screen” button.

• Step 3. Select your device brand to unlock and access reboot instructions, then follow them to complete the process.

• Step 4. You will be notified when the process is completed. Simply disconnect your Samsung Galaxy A14 4G and access it without any pattern lock.

Part 2: How to Unlock Pattern Lock with Android Device Manager?

Besides Dr.Fone, there are also a few more options to learn how to unlock pattern locks on an Android device. Though, these options are not as secure or fast as Dr. Fone’s. For instance, you can take the assistance of Android Device Manager (also known as Find My Device) to do the same. It can be used to remotely ring a device, change its lock, locate it, or erase its content. To learn how to unlock pattern lock on Android, follow these steps:

• Step 1. Go to Android Device Manager (Find My Device) website https://www.google.com/android/find and log in using your credentials.
• Step 2. A list of all the connected devices to your Google account will be provided.
• Step 3. As you would select your device, you will get various options: erase, lock, and ring.

• Step 4. Click on the “Lock” option to change the lock pattern on your device.
• Step 5. Provide the new password for your device and write an optional recovery message.

• Step 6. Apply these changes and exit the window to change the lock on your device.

Part 3: How to Unlock Android Pattern Lock Using the ‘Forgot Pattern’ Feature?

If your device is running on Android 4.4 or older versions, then you can also take the assistance of the “Forgot Pattern” option to perform the pattern unlock. You won’t need a third-party tool or any other device to perform the desired operation. To learn how to unlock pattern lock on your device, follow these steps:

• Step 1. Simply provide any incorrect pattern on your device to get the following screen.
• Step 2. From the bottom of the screen, you can tap on the “Forgot Pattern” feature.

• Step 3. Select the option to unlock your device with your Google credentials.

• Step 4. Provide the correct Google credentials of the account that is linked to your device.
• Step 5. Later, you can set a new pattern for your device and confirm it. This will let you access your Android device with the new pattern lock.

Part 4: How to Unlock Samsung Phone Pattern Lock Using Samsung Find My Mobile?

Just like Android, Samsung has also developed a dedicated feature for finding a device remotely and performing various other operations on it. The Samsung Find My Mobile service can be used to locate your device, change its lock, wipe its data, and perform a few other tasks as well. Needless to say, the service only works for Samsung Android devices. You can learn how to unlock patterns with this tool by following these instructions:

• Step 1. Go to Samsung’s Find my Mobile official website https://findmymobile.samsung.com/ and log in using your Samsung account credentials.

• Step 2. You can select your device from the left panel. By default, it will provide its location on the map.

• Step 3. Additionally, you can access various other services from here as well. Click on the “Unlock My Device” option to proceed.

• Step 4. Now, all you need to do is click on the “Unlock” button to perform pattern unlock on your device.
• Step 5. After unlocking your Samsung device, you will be informed of an on-screen message.

Part 5: How to Unlock Android Pattern Lock in Safe Mode?

This is a simple and effective solution to knowing how to unlock patterns on an Android device. Nevertheless, this solution will only work for third-party lock screen apps. If you are using your phone’s native lock feature, then it might not work. After restarting your phone in Safe Mode, you can easily move past its pattern lock without any trouble. All you need to do is follow these steps:

• Step 1. Simply press the Power button on your device to get the Power menu on its screen.
• Step 2. Now, tap and hold the “Power off” option.

• Step 3. This will display the following pop-up message. Agree to it and restart your phone in Safe Mode.
• Step 4. Once the Samsung Galaxy A14 4G device would be restarted in Safe Mode, the third-party lock screen would be disabled automatically.

• Step 5. Later, you can go to the Samsung Galaxy A14 4G device’s Settings > Apps and remove the third-party app as well. In this way, you would be able to learn how to unlock pattern lock for any other app.

Part 6: How to Unlock Pattern Lock with the Factory Reset?

Consider this as your last resort, as it will wipe the data and saved settings on your device entirely. As the name suggests, your device would be restored to its factory setting by losing its data. Though, if you wish to learn how to unlock a pattern by performing a factory reset, then you can perform these steps:

• Step 1. To start with, enter the Recovery Mode on your device. This can be done by pressing the Home, Power, and Volume Up key at the same time.
• Step 2. Though, the correct key combination might differ from one version of the Android device to another.
• Step 3. Use the Volume Up and Down key to navigate and the Power/Home button to make a choice.

• Step 4. Select the wipe data/factory reset option to perform pattern unlock.
• Step 5. Confirm your choice to factory reset your device.

• Step 6. Wait for a while as your phone will perform the needed operations.
• Step 7. Later, you can choose to reboot your phone and access it without any lock screen.

Conclusion

By following this guide, you would certainly be able to learn how to unlock the pattern lock on your device without much trouble. We recommend using Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android) to perform pattern unlock with no data loss. It has a user-friendly interface and is sure to yield the desired results. Now when you know how to unlock patterns on an Android device, you can share this information with others as well to help them!

safe & secure

Mastering Lock Screen Settings: How to Enable and Disable on Samsung Galaxy A14 4G

In the modern world, the use of smartphones has become such a common trend that everyone would feel abnormal if they don’t have a smartphone of their own. So big the demand is that all IT companies are trying their best to introduce as well as innovate several excellent brands of smartphones. To support the function of smartphones, by far there have been numerous operating systems existed. Among them, Android is one of the most popular as well as trustworthy OS.

Just like any other smartphone, all Android devices have their ways to protect the data stored inside a smartphone from being corrupted or leaked. One of the simplest and most easy-to-use ways is to make use of the lock screen.

The lock screen has proved to be a traditional yet efficient way to help you protect your Android phones. In this article, we will provide you with an informative piece of writing about everything you need to know when it comes to the Android lock screen, and ways to enable and disable it.

If you have spent time searching and looking for features of your Android devices, you will find the process of enabling a lock screen is a piece of cake.

· Step 1: On the main screen of your Android devices, tap on the gear icon - which is the icon representing the Settings menu. Once you have chosen it, you will see a drop-down menu on the screen. In the options provided, tap on the Security bar.

· Step 2: Under the tab whose heading is entitled Screen Security, tap on the first bar in the list called Screen lock.

· Step 3: Once the step is done successfully, Android will give you plenty of choices about ways to lock your Android devices’ screens. Among these ways, select one particular type which you feel is most convenient as well as free-risk. After that, type in your PIN code to confirm the choice and finally activate your lock screen feature as you wish.

Part 2: How to Disable Android Lock Screen

To certain customers, the lock screen can do more harm than good, and they would prefer to disable the screen lock on their Android devices. This process is also an easy one to follow, as long as you still hold good memory of the security code.

· Step 1: On the main screen of your Android devices, tap on the gear icon. It will directly lead you to the Settings menu of the phone. After that, a drop-down menu will appear with several choices and bars. Among them, tap on the Security option to begin your work.

· Step 2: Under the heading called Screen Security heading, you will be shown 3 choices. Tap on the first one, which is entitled Screen lock.

· Step 3: Once you have done the previous step, a brand new screen will appear and then you will be asked to fill in your PIN code. This is a step that helps guarantee that you are the true owner of the Android device.

Step 4: As soon as you have confirmed the right PIN code in the bar provided, you will then be presented to the next drop-down menu. A similar screen will appear which shows you plenty of choices. Tap on the top of that list, which is a bar called None.

Step 5: In the end, you have successfully disabled the screen lock on your Android devices. You are now capable of using it without any hesitation about the screen lock.

Part 3: Common Problems of Disabling Lock Screen

The process to disable the screen lock on Android may seem easy to handle as well as straightforward to several customers, but there are still some annoying problems that users have to deal with while trying to disable the lock screen.

What are the top 2 common problems?

Below are the two most common problems faced by Android users during their efforts to disable the feature of screen lock.

1. In the Screen Security choice, the None bar can not be chosen.

Description of the problem: There is a sentence below it stated: “Disabled by administrators, encryption policy or credential storage”. All the space of the None option is in white and grey.

The solution to this problem is quite simple. Once you have made sure you are suffering from this nasty one, try to follow these below pieces of advice to see if it is capable of giving you a hand.

Step 1: Open the Settings menu from the main screen. Then tap on the Credential Storage. You will see a drop-down menu like the screenshot below.

Step 2: Continue to tap on the Clear Credentials (Remove all certificates) option. Then next click on the OK button. Wait for some seconds until your Android device has finished the process.

Step 3: To make sure that the previous step has been performed successfully, try looking at the bottom of the drop-down menu. If the Clear Credentials (Remove all certificates) are grey out and can not be selected, then you have managed to do it.

Step 4: Now that the problem is solved, you can feel free to turn back to your Screen lock option in the beginning and disable the feature of locking screen Android as usual.

2. You have mistakenly encrypted your SD card. You want to disable the encryption, only to realize that it requires you to set a new screen lock code. But when you come to the Screen lock menu, all the options but Password have been greyed out.

This is pretty weird, but actually, it is one of the most common troubles that many users have complained about. But to your surprise, the solution is very simple and easy. All you have to do is to reset your password, but with a little change. Your password MUST include at least ONE NUMBER in it. Confirm your new password then you will be able to disable the lock screen Android as usual.

Bonus Tip: Remove Android Screen Lock If Forgotten Password/Pattern

As much as the lock screen can protect the personal information on the phone, it can also cause much trouble if you forget the lock screen password or enter the wrong password too many times. So here comes the need for phone unlocking software . One of the best is Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android), which can help us bypass forgotten Android screen locks without any data loss（limited to Samsung and LG series phones）. Other Android brand phones will be wiped out all the data once starting to unlock with Dr.Fone

Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android)

Remove 4 Types of Android Screen Lock without Data Loss

• It can remove 4 screen lock types - pattern, PIN, password & fingerprints.
• One-time payment for unlimited use of multiple devices within a specified time period.
• Work for Samsung Galaxy S/Note/Tab series, LG G2/G3/G4, etc.
• Besides, unlocking the screen lock, it also works best to unlock the Samsung FRP lock in devices with Android 5.0 and higher.

3981454 people have downloaded it

Steps on How to Unlock Forgotten Password in Android Phones

Step 1: Launch Dr.Fone and click on Screen Unlock from the primary window.

Step 2: Connect your Android device to the computer via USB cable. The program will recognize the phone directly. Select the phone model or “I can’t find my device model from the list above” to continue.

Step 3: Follow the instruction on the program exactly to set the phone to Download Mode. First, you will need to Power off your Phone. Secondly, Press on Volume Down, Home button, and Power button simultaneously. Thirdly press the Volume up button to navigate until the phone enters Download mode.

Step 4: After you set the phone to Download mode, it will begin to download the recovery package. When the recovery package is downloaded successfully, the lock screen on your Samsung Galaxy A14 4G devicewill be removed. You won’t lose any data during the whole process.

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