Keeping a phone secure is very tricky; from one viewpoint you don’t want anybody to have access to your information. Then again, you would prefer not to put such a large number of locks on the device that unlocking it for your own usage is an issue. Android takes care of this issue with Smart Lock. It’s a modern locking system that can keep your device unlocked if it’s in your pocket, connected to a wearable or your car, or in case you’re home or at work. This is all awesome up to the point that you leave your device somewhere and it’s unlocked. To protect your information, you have to remotely disable the smart lock on your phone. Here’s how to do it.
Requirements
On your Android phone, you should have;
- A Google account properly configured
- Find my device must be enabled
- An active cellular or WiFi connection
Remotely Disable Smart Lock
Visit Google’s Find My Device page and sign in to the very same Google account that you have configured on your Android phone. Once you’re signed in, Google will find your device. If by chance you have different devices configured, select the device that you want to remotely disable smart lock for.
Click on the ‘Lock’ option.
You can decide to enter an optional message however if you don’t feel like doing that, simply click the Lock button at the bottom.
Google will remotely lock your device and it must be unlocked by entering a PIN, a pattern, or a password.
Limitations
This trick has its limitations the clearest of which is that your device must be online. If Google can’t find it, and can’t connect to it, it won’t have the ability to remotely lock the device. If your device has fallen into the wrong hands, and the person knows that you have smart lock enabled on it, they can turn on Airplane mode and look through your device. Assuming that, the device is shut down/restarted smart lock is disabled and only a password or a PIN etc can unlock the device again.
While this limitation is there, it ought to be noted that your information while been compromised won’t enable anyone to easily wipe off your phone, remove your Google account from it, or reset passwords. To do any of that, an internet connection will be required. In like manner, If someone is using your phone to access two-factor verification codes, they will again need to disable Airplane mode for them to receive a text.
There are actually loopholes that prevent a device from being locked remotely anyway, they also come with limitations.
