It is clear that losing our mobile phone is a real problem, because we carry a lot of sensitive personal information on it. Some time ago we told you about the news of Android 5.1 Lollipop and one of those that has attracted less attention is that smartphones with compatible hardware can be completely blocked if they steal it, with no chance of them working again. But what if we left our phone on a table and it was taken from us before the password was activated?
Well, now Android already has automatic locking and unlocking, a function known as "On-body detection". The idea is based on the fact that the accelerometer is capable of knowing if we are carrying the phone in our hand or in our pocket, and in those circumstances it does not block it. However, if we leave it on a table or any other surface, On-body detection notices the lack of movement, and makes it necessary to enter the password to access the device again. An interesting feature that is already coming to terminals with Android 5.0 Lollipop or higher (not only Nexus), as part of an update to Google Play Services.
Obviously, this system has a serious limitation, because if someone holds the smartphone it doesn't block it, but the system can't check if it's the owner or someone elseFor this there are other functions apart from On-body detection, such as facial recognition or the use of trusted Bluetooth devices. In any case, Android now has automatic lock and unlock, which will be a useful feature.
It is interesting that Google continues to provide improvements, especially of this type, which do not require a complete update of the operating system to be applied. If you leave your phone on a table, now you can be sure that no one will be able to access your data On-body detection is an ingenious and practical system, so let's hope that it will soon reach many Android terminals.
What do you think about Android auto lock and unlock? Is this comfortable for you, or do you prefer to use a traditional unlock pattern?
