Paul Jones / Android Authority
TL;DR
A Samsung document confirms that One UI 9 will cap the number of incorrect PIN, password, or pattern attempts to just 13.
This is part of the recent changes to Android 17, though Samsung’s implementation is much stricter.
Samsung will ignore repeated attempts with the same password or PIN, and such attempts won’t count toward the overall failed-attempt tally.
We’ve all been in situations where we’ve entered the PIN for our Android phone‘s lock screen incorrectly. The Android platform used to be fairly lenient about the number of incorrect PIN attempts allowed on the lock screen. As we recently learned, Google has tightened the screws a little with Android 17. These changes are expectedly trickling down to One UI 9, though Samsung is taking a more aggressive approach.
According to a support document published over the weekend, One UI 9 is adopting “stricter lock screen security measures” for consecutive incorrect attempts of the lock screen pattern, PIN, or password. While Android 17 cut down the number of attempts from 1,800 over a five-year period to just 20, One UI 9 is capping that to just 13, with users having 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 leave out consecutive incorrect attempts of the same password/PIN from the tally of failed attempts.
Galaxy device owners on One UI 9 will also see precise details on the number of attempts available, along with what the company calls guidance text, when the user makes multiple incorrect attempts. Lastly, the presence of Factory Reset Protection lock on Android devices means users will need to reauthenticate their Samsung and Google accounts after the factory reset.
It’s worth remembering that even if you use only biometric authentication, Android’s 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 unveiled Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8 will be the first to run the 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 posting.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings