How to Remove Widgets from iPhone's Lock Screen in iOS 10

The new mobile operating system for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch has a lot of great changes and new features. One particular highlight of iOS 10 is the new lock screen widget system. This lets you quickly view the current weather and upcoming events without unlocking your device, and without pulling down the Notification Center—but for some folks, it may be more trouble than it's worth.

While the new lock screen widgets are indeed nice, they add clutter to a very centralized interface on your phone or tablet, and some people may prefer a more minimalist style, while others don't want them accessible to any random person who picks up their iOS device. So if you'd like to remove these widgets, I'll show you how to do it below.

Note: This guide has been updated to include both ways of removing widgets from the lock screen—from a locked and unlocked state—which is an annoying new feature thanks to the absence of "Slide to unlock" from iOS 9 and earlier, but there is still no applock feature.l

Lock Screen Widgets: Locked vs. Unlocked

Before we get into disabling lock screen widgets, there's a few things you should know about the new iOS 10 lock screen itself. The main issue is that the lock screen has two different states now—"Locked" and "Unlocked." As strange as that sounds, it's good move for privacy.

When you wake your iPhone (either by clicking your home or power button, or by using the new "Raise to Wake" feature on supported models), you'll see a lock icon at the top of your screen. This means your lock screen is fully locked. However, if you scan your Touch ID at this point, that lock icon will turn into a message that says "Unlocked."

 

"Locked" lock screen (top); "Unlocked" lock screen (bottom).

When your lock screen is "Unlocked," you can simply press your home button again to see your home screen, since your iPhone has verified that you're the one holding it. In the same vein, it will unlock all features of the new lock screen, including full widget access.

The entire widget screen can be removed from the "Locked" lock screen, which means that other people won't be able to see sensitive information just by picking up your phone. However, the "Unlocked" lock screen will still display your widgets, even if you removed them from the "Locked" lock screen.

So the trouble here is that you can't get rid of the widgets page on the "Unlocked" lock screen. However, if you'd like, you can disable the widgets on your "Locked" lock screen, then completely skip the "Unlocked" lock screen by enabling a second setting—which ultimately means you won't see lock screen widgets ever again.

Step 1：Prevent Others from Viewing Lock Screen Widgets in a 'Locked' State

If you don't want anybody gaining access to widgets without your permission, you'll definitely want to remove them from the "Locked" lock screen. Again, this is when the icon in the status bar remains locked.

To do this, start by heading to your device's main Settings menu. From here, select "Touch ID & Passcode," then scroll down a bit, and disable the "Today" option. At this point, the widgets page will be completely removed from your "Locked" lock screen, but you may want to take things a step further to make sure you'll never see lock screen widgets again.

 Note: If your device doesn't have Touch ID, disabling this option will remove lock screen widgets entirely, so there's no need to check out the second step.

Step 2：Completely Remove Lock Screen Widgets in an 'Unlocked' State (Optional)

At this point, lock screen widgets will be inaccessible unless you use Touch ID to enter the "Unlocked" state on your lock screen. You, and only you, can access widgets from the "Unlocked" lock screen, so any random person who picks up your phone cannot.

However, if you don't want to see widgets on your lock screen at all, you can take things a step further and skip over the "Unlocked" lock screen entirely. To do that, you'll just need to enable the "Rest Finger to Open" option, which is a process I've outlined at the following link.

Toggling on "Rest Finger to Open" bypasses the "unlocked" lock screen state.

No matter how you went about it, you'll still be able to swipe right to quickly access your camera (though, you can get rid of that, too).

If you don't like widgets period, locked or unlocked, you could also remove each widget one by one from the "Edit" menu on the Today view, which affects widgets on your home screen and from the Notification Center when unlocked. But if you like them whenever you're not on your lock screen, one of the two methods above are better options.

Ways to Increase Security on iPhone's Lock Screen

With over 10,000 possible combinations, a four-digit passcode may seem secure, but it's fairly easy for someone to crack your code—no matter how clever you think it is. Luckily, there are many other options for securing your iPhone's lock screen, besides you can even try an app lock to set independent Pin Code or pattern for single apps.

Step 1: Beef Up Your Passcode

Even with Touch ID security in place, you're still required to have a passcode in case the fingerprint scanner is unresponsive or your fingers are too sweaty to read. In iOS 8 and older versions, a four-digit passcode was standard, and chances are you still have one on your iOS 9 device if you transferred all of your settings over.

Option #1: Use a Six-Digit Passcode

This feature was first introduced in iOS 9, and provides up to 1,000,000 possibilities (which is a lot better than 10,000). If you set up your iOS 9 device from scratch, chances are it wanted you to use a six-digit one anyway, though you could have opted for the simple four-digit one instead.

Navigate to Settings -> Touch ID & Passcode, then after entering your current passcode to unlock the preferences, select Change Passcode. You'll need to enter your current passcode in again, then tap on Passcode Options and select 6-Digit Numeric Code.

Option #2: Use an Any-Digit Passcode

If four or six digits isn't enough protection for your lock screen, there are a few more options for you. By selecting Custom Numeric Code (iOS 9 only), you can create a numbers-only passcode of any length, which can be crazy difficult to crack (unless, of course, you record a video of it).

Option #3: Use an Alphanumeric Code (Or Complex Passcode)

If you'd rather have a password, you can select Custom Alphanumeric Code (in iOS 8, you would un-toggle "Simple Passcode" to create a "Complex Passcode") to make your lock screen even more secure. Alphanumeric codes can be any length, and can include letters, numbers, and/or special characters. With a combination of various types of characters, it'll be a lot more difficult to crack than a four-digit, six-digit, or any-digit passcode.

Step 2：Disable Lock Screen Features

As useful as Siri can be, she's somewhat of a liability when accessible from the lock screen, which was made obvious through an iOS 9 exploit. Luckily, all you have to do is deny lock screen access. In addition to Siri, other sensitive content should be disabled.

To adjust what's accessible from your iPhone's lock screen, head into the "Allow Access When Locked" section in your Touch ID & Passcode preferences. From here, you can disable (un-toggle) Today, Notifications View, Siri, Reply with Messages, and Wallet.

Siri aside, I'm more concerned with a stranger picking up my iPhone and replying to a text with something potentially horrible. And unless you're using Touch ID with Wallet, anyone with your passcode can use Apple Pay. As a precaution, and because unlocking my phone only takes a few seconds, I toggle everything off.

Step 3：Disable the Control Center

When you lose your iPhone, Find My iPhone is there to help track it down. That is unless the person who found it pulls up the Control Center to toggle on Airplane Mode, essentially taking your device off the grid, making it impossible to track or wipe all of its content.

The best way to prevent this from happening is by heading to the Control Center preferences within your iPhone's settings and toggling off "Access on Lock Screen." Although your iPhone can be turned off as a preventive measure, the person who has it won't be getting much use out of it without having the location tracked.

Step 4：Make Your iPhone Lock Sooner

Although it's annoying that my iPhone will automatically lock itself within a short period of time when not actively in use, this precaution can prevent potential scumbags from picking it up and using it right away without needing a passcode or Touch ID. This can be a problem with "snatch-and-run" scenarios, in which your iPhone is literally taken from your hands as you use it, when it's most-likely unlocked.

To get your iPhone to lock faster, you'll need to adjust the Auto-Lock setting and Require Passcode preference.

Change the Auto-Lock timer by heading into Settings -> General -> Auto-Lock. From there, I'd suggest using the shortest time available: 30 Seconds. While it's ultimately up to you, the less time there is, the smaller the window of opportunity is for anyone who steals your device.

While Auto-Lock will power down the display, it won't lock your iPhone right away (unless Touch ID is enabled). To make your device lock as soon as the display dims, head into the Passcode & Touch ID settings and select the Require Passcode option.

As stated within the preferences itself, "Shorter times are more secure."

Step 5：Hide Notification Content or Remove It Completely

Emails and texts received are previewed on the lock screen, sometimes containing content we don't want visible to wondering eyes. So unless it's vital that you see notification previews on the lock screen, hide or remove them completely.

To adjust the notification preferences of any particular application, go to Settings -> Notifications and select the app whose notification content you wish to change. You can select to disable notifications on the lock screen or just disable previews (this will disable previews when the device is unlocked as well).

From now on, whether someone is trying to look over your shoulder or steal your iPhone, you'll have safeguards in place that won't make it as easy to use. If you want more security and privacy, there are third party apps in APP Store with lock apps feature. 

Best App Lockers for Android

A smartphone is a very personal gadget. We have personal messages and information in the likes of messaging & social media apps. Then there are banking apps, where a lot of our sensitive data is stored. Also, we click a ton of personal photos and videos, which are saved in the gallery app of our smartphone. Unlike iOS, where you need to be jailbroken to lock apps with Touch ID, Android features a number of cool apps that let you lock apps through a password, PIN, fingerprint scanner or some really unique ways.

While custom ROMs like CyanogenMod (read: Lineage OS) and Android builds from various manufacturers come with the app locking feature built-in, most Android users look for app lockers on the Google Play Store. So, if you are looking for app lockers on Android to lock apps with your device’s fingerprint sensor, we have you covered. Here are the 10 best app lockers for Android:

1.       Privacy Knight Applock

Privacy Knight, designed by the Alibaba group, is an ad-free and totally free applock that isn’t very popular but certainly deserves to be. The app lets you lock apps through different methods like PIN/pattern, fingerprint, face tracking or through a disguise cover like blow to unlock, shake, or a crash message. Along with apps, you can lock incoming calls with Privacy Knight. There are options to prevent uninstallation of the app, hide notification preview from apps like WhatsApp and secret door to disguise the app as a dialer. Along with that, the app captures photos of intruders that enter the wrong password.

The app also includes additional features like a photos & videos vault, the ability to check for privacy issues and clear browser history.

Install: (Free)

2.       Hexlock App Lock

Hexlock App Lock is a fairly new app locker for Android that has gained a lot of traction due to its beautiful interface and handy features. The app lets you lock apps through fingerprint, with the PIN and pattern as your backup. There are various preset profiles like Work, Home, Party, Parental, School etc. but you can edit these or create your very own profiles. Hexlock lets you automatically enable a profile based on the WiFi network your device is connected to. Other than that, the app captures photos and saves the location of intruders trying to unlock apps. There are also options to set up uninstall prevention, app re-lock delay and more. While Hexlock does include non-intrusive ads, you can remove them via an in-app purchase.

Install: (Free, with in-app purchase of $1.30 to remove ads)

3.       Norton App Lock

Chances are, you have heard of Norton, the popular anti-virus maker. Well, the company offers a pretty good app lock for Android. The Norton App Lock is a very simple app locker which should be a good choice, if you are looking for a free & ad-free app locker that just works. With Norton App Lock, you can lock apps by fingerprint, PIN or pattern. There aren’t a lot of options here but you can protect it from uninstallation by giving it admin privileges. There are also options to set a recovery email, along with a sneak peak feature that captures photos of intruders who enter the wrong PIN or pattern 3 times.

Install: (Free)

4.       AppLock

AppLock is the most popular app locker app on the Play Store, with more than 100 million downloads. The app has certainly earned that, as it’s also the best app locker for Android. With AppLock, you can lock apps as well as various Android toggles like WiFi, Bluetooth, mobile data etc. You can even lock incoming calls or almost any Android element. You can also set up various lock profiles for work, home etc. There are also options to make sure that the app locking triggers at a certain time or location. AppLock also lets you add a cover like a warning message that says “the app has stopped”, which is one of the usual Android warnings.

Moreover, you can choose to hide the app, prevent uninstallation, and set up a delay for re-locking. It also includes a power saving mode, so if you use AppLock, you don’t need to worry about the app draining your device’s battery. Along with app locking, the app also brings a photo and video vault, and support for plugins. AppLock is certainly a feature rich app and it works flawlessly. The app does include ads but they are rare and of the non-intrusive kind.

Install: (Free, with in-app purchases)

5. FingerSecurity

FingerSecurity is one of the best app lockers for Android, thanks to its sheer number of features. The feature-rich app lets you lock apps via fingerprint and you can enable the improved protection features to make sure that parts of the app and the app’s data isn’t visible in the recents screen. There’s also the advanced security option to prevent uninstalls. The app also lets you set a time out, which is the delay in re-locking apps, along with options to theme the fingerprint indicator, and more.

The app is available in a free version but it’s fairly limited. However, you can get the Premium version, which brings more theming options, like the ability to change background of the lock page. It also brings options to set safe locations, detect intruders, set up a fake crash, and more. Overall, the app definitely packs in a ton of features but in my usage, I did face a few hiccups in performance, so that’s something you should keep in mind.

Install: (Free, with in-app purchase of $1.99 for Premium)

Best Photo Editing Apps for iOS and Android

We all want our photos to be liked. That's why we spend that extra time tweaking them before sharing them with the world (or just with friends and family). Today's photo editor apps make it easier than ever to enhance, crop, remove blemishes, add effects and filters, and more. Our top pick overall for photo-editing apps is PicsArt (free for Android, iOS) for its comprehensive photo-editing tools, great filters and good sharing options. The interface is easy to navigate, and context-sensitive tips make it the app to download for editing your photos on the go.

Other photo apps are great for specific use cases, whether you're really keen on social sharing and discovery or you crave powerful adjustment tools. We tested six apps for Android and iOS to help you decide what's worth downloading.

How We Tested

We downloaded each of the apps onto both a Samsung Galaxy S6 Android smartphone and an iPhone 5S. We tested all aspects of each app on both phones, paying close attention to the following:

The interface: How well organized and accessible is it, and how easy or difficult it is to use and master?

Photo taking and import: Does the camera module offer any added value? What picture sources does the import option support? How easy is it to open your photos in the app?

Photo editing: How comprehensive, powerful and versatile are the photo tools and the filters? Is it fun to use them? Do they provide good, sensible user controls that enhance creative potential? How difficult are they to master? Does the app offer good and easy-to-access help, or features for video editor?

Sharing: How many social networks are supported? Can you share several pictures to various social networks concurrently? How easy is it to share your pictures?

We gave photo editing a weight that was greater than or equal to all the other aspects combined when calculating our ratings, because the whole purpose of these apps is to edit your pictures.

 

Thanks to a rich array of excellent image-editing tools and filters, PicsArt (free) delivers Photoshop-like creativity and versatility. We particularly love the more whimsical options, including stickers and artistic text. You can import photos from Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Picasa, Google or Dropbox, and you can use those pictures to create collages, among other things. But it's the logical and responsive interface that gives this app the edge over the competition.

For the selfie-stick-owning photog, the $3.99 Facetune app can help you perfect your visage. This app specializes in portrait retouching, which includes teeth whitening, wrinkle removal and quick makeup additions, as well as red-eye removal and face reshaping. But this prolike tool isn't meant for adding filters to landscapes.

If your social feed is filled with pictures of your lunch, sunsets, puppies and friends at play, Instagram is where it's at. A social network in its own right, this app keeps its focus on quick, uncomplicated editing and sharing of photos and videos. Plus, you can like, comment and re-share your friends' pics to your heart's content.

You can now use Adobe’s powerful Photoshop Lightroom app on iOS or Android devices for free. It offers a solid set of tools for tweaking your images before sharing them socially (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr). You can revert edits at any time or copy edits across multiple pictures. The app also has its own in-app camera.

Other Photo Editing Apps Reviewed

A robust menu of Adjustment tools and a large collection of filters, borders and stickers make Pixlr Mobile a great option for users who enjoy photo editing and manipulation. It can quickly move from image capture to editing and sharing. But newbies to photo editing may be put off by the lack of contextual assistance.

Not to be confused with its more powerful, desktop photo-editing program, Adobe's Photoshop Express Mobile is a simple photo app that delivers on image quality and ease of use. Uniquely, it supports RAW file formats, in addition to the standard JPEG and PNG. And it integrates with Adobe's Creative Cloud.

The VSCO Camera may lack the fun special effects that some other apps offer, but it has traditional photography corrections and adjustments down cold. It also offers a robust enthusiast community for hard-core shooters.

How to Hide Photos on Your Phone

Hide photos on Android

Do you ever lend your Android phone to someone and hope that they don't look through your image gallery? Maybe they will find pictures sent from your significant other. Or how about those pictures of you flexing or posing in front of the mirror? That would be embarrassing! Here are the two main ways to hide your pictures from exploring eyes:

First option: Manual file management

If you don't have a stock file manager on your phone, you can get one from the Android Market, such as Astro File Manager, File Expert, or OI File Manager. Any of those will work. You can also mount your SD card on your computer and follow these steps from there (in fact that way might be a lot faster).

Step 1: Open the file manager (or SD card) and add a new folder that starts with a period (.) followed by a name, like .mystuff

Screenshot by Nicole Cozma

Step 2: Move your photos into this folder. They will no longer show in the default Gallery app nor any other picture viewer, just the file manager. You will need to remember where you put them, and you should note that they will not be protected by a password, as they would be if you'd used a photo-hiding app.

Second option: Apps that lock down and hide your pictures

There are a lot of options in this category. Two of the most popular apps are Vaulty and Gallery Lock Lite.

PrivateZone: To hide photos with this app, just open it and then press and hold on individual pictures until the menu pops up. You can also go through the regular Gallery on the phone and press the share button on pictures to send them into Private Space of this app, protected by a password or Pin code. You can also lock apps and hide videos in this app. The number of photos and videos that can be hidden is unlimited, and the app is free!

Screenshot by Nicole Cozma

Gallery Lock Lite: This is a more comprehensive hiding tool. You can set a passcode to unlock access to your photos, which you are prompted to do upon first opening the app. Additionally, you can hide the Gallery Lock Lite app from the app drawer and open it by calling 3333 from the dialer. The amount of photos you can hide is limited in the free version, but the app maker offers a Pro version for just one buck.

Screenshot by Nicole Cozma

Hide Photos on iPhone & iPad with the iOS Hidden Album

Everyone likely has a few photos sitting on their iPhone they’d rather nobody else see, whether it’s embarrassing selfies, poorly filtered or edited pics, a picture of a receipt or personal paperwork, or anything else in the realm of private photos. Those pictures can make showing someone another picture on your iPhone (or iPad) an awkward experience, as you’re hoping they don’t start flipping through your Camera Roll to discover that terrible photo of you after winning the pie eating contest. Fortunately the newest versions of iOS include a new way to mitigate that potential awkwardness by hiding select photos.

The hide photos feature must be enabled individually for each picture, as it’s set on a per-image basis. At the moment there is no bulk hide function like there is with the ability to bulk remove a bunch of photos all at once, so you may want to get in the habit of regularly hiding the pictures you don’t want to show up in your general photos app views.

Note this feature is available only to iOS 8 and newer, and though we’re going to focus on the iPhone here, it works the same on the iPad and iPod touch too.

Hiding a Photo in iOS

1.       Open Photos and go to Camera Roll or Albums as usual

2.       Tap on the picture you wish to hide, this will open it as usual

3.       Tap and hold on the photo itself to bring up an action menu, choose “Hide”

4.       Confirm that you want to hide the picture by tapping “Hide Photo”

Now that a picture or many are hidden, they’ll become invisible to the Collections, Years views, and instead are placed in a separate “Hidden” album.

Accessing Your Hidden Photos in iOS

Open the Photos app and tap on “Albums” view

Locate in the list of Albums the folder called “Hidden” (note the thumbnail is not automatically generated for that folder, offering additional privacy)

Find your hidden photos in the Hidden Album

This is where all of your hidden photos will be stored.

Hidden photos in iOS Albums

Note that while a picture is hidden, it can still be shared or sent through messages as usual, as long as you access it from this hidden album.

Unhiding a Picture in iOS

From the Hidden photo album, tap on the picture you want to unhide

Tap and hold on the picture and choose “Unhide” from the submenu that pops up

Unhide photos in iOS

This sends the picture back to the general Camera Roll and it becomes accessible to all albums and collections views again.

Is the Photo Really Hidden on the iPhone?

It’s important to understand how the hide photo function works: the photo(s) are hidden from the camera roll, Moments, Collections, and Year view, but are still visible in a photo album not-so-discretely called “Hidden”. In other words, while this is very effective at hiding photos from casual iPhone use and from flipping through your pictures in iOS, anyone who knows to look for the ‘Hidden’ album can still view the hidden images.

This is a decent way of handling your truly private pictures, but if you’re concerned about someone discovering the Hidden photos album, consider using the send-to-self trick to avoid offering photo album and camera roll access, or maybe just message them the pictures instead.

Lock Apps With Samsung Galaxy S6's Fingerprint Scanner

Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a fingerprint scanner that allows for a more secure lock screen, web sign-ins, and account verification. But unlike its brethren, the sensor on the S6 has been vastly improved. No longer does it require a clumsy swipe—all you have to do is place your finger on it for less than a second, much like Touch ID on iPhones.

While most of you may already be taking full advantage of this feature, utilizing it to unlock your device, today I'll be showing you another practical use for the scanner which enables users to fortify sensitive apps, like banking, photo, and social media apps, with fingerprint authentication.

Step 1 Get Your Device Ready

This process isn't exclusive to the Galaxy S6, but you will need a Samsung device with a fingerprint scanner running Android 4.3 or above. With that being said, let's initiate the process by setting up your fingerprint feature within Settings -> Lock screen & security -> Fingerprints, if you haven't already done so.

Step 2 Install FingerSecurity

There are plenty of fingerprint applocks available on the Google Play Store, but I find FingerSecurity from developer Rick Clephas to be the most efficient and well-presented of the bunch. So go ahead and install that for free and skip to the next step.

Step 3 Get Your Settings Straight

To launch the app, you will need to use the fingerprint scanner. Before selecting the apps you wish to secure, swipe to the Settings tab. Some of the preferences are pretty routine, but others, like "Alternative Password" or "Protect Recent Tasks," offer you more control.

Step 4 Secure Your Apps

With your settings tailored to your liking, begin selecting which apps you want to secure, then enable the service for that app. When you do toggle on fingerprint security, you will be given the additional option to enable your custom settings.

In-App Purchase Options

The bulk of the app and its services are offered to us for free, but as a contribution to the developer's work, and for additional features, take a look at the various in-app purchase options. You can unlock location-based security, protect notifications, use themes, or specify fingers when unlocking.

Overall, I give this app two thumbs up; all of the features you want are free, it's simple to use, and its presentation is intuitive and minimal. Definitely try this out and keep your apps secured.

How to Hide Photos

If you’re the kind of person who likes snapping the occasional risque pic every now and then, you might have a good experience with KeepSafe.

KeepSafe basically creates a digital vault on your phone where you can toss anything that you don’t want showing up anywhere else. You have to create a PIN to use every time you want to access your app, and it keeps all of your sensitive files in one location. There is also an option to back your private files up on the cloud, if you feel comfortable doing so. That way you can recover your lost pics if your phone gets lost or broken.

KeepSafe is rapidly becoming one of the most widely used privacy apps, and the current version is free to use with premium features available for unlocking at $4.99 a month. The cloud backup service is free, but the premium version gives you additional features like snazzy PIN theme, a fake PIN that lets users think they’ve gained access to your hidden files if they use it, and a “secret door” that disguises KeepSafe as a utility app unless you long-press on the icon. Premium members also get a “Break-in Alert” system that logs failed access attempts so that you can see if someone else has been trying to get at your private files. In addition to hiding pictures, KeepSafe can also be used as a repository for sensitive data such as passwords and ID cards.

Setting it up is a breeze. Simply download the app from the Google Play Store and the setup guide will walk you through setting up a PIN.

keepsafe-password

That accomplished, you can add any photos to KeepSafe by opening a folder and tapping the ‘add picture’ icon at the bottom right. Use the browser to select the photos you want to hide.

keepsafe-hidden-pics

Alternatively, you can add files to the vault by accessing your phone’s normal gallery, tapping the “Share” button on the desired picture, and selecting KeepSafe from the list of options. This will move the photo to your private collection and remove it from the gallery. Easy peasy. 

Secure Your Android Phone Right Now

The lock screen is an important feature in Android, and keeping it secure is important for all Android users. It’s actually gotten easier with Lollipop and above, as many of the customization features have either been removed or placed elsewhere.

For example, lock screen widgets have given up the ghost, and Face Unlock is now a Smart Lock setting called “Trusted Face.” That makes the lock screen security menu a breeze to navigate.

The first thing you’ll want to do is get into the Settings menu. You can do this by either pulling down the notification shade and selecting the cog icon (stock Android devices require the shade to be pulled twice before the settings icon will show up), or just tapping the Settings icon in the app lock drawer.

Once in the Settings menu, scroll down to the “Personal” section and tap the “Security” entry.

The first option in this menu should be “Screen lock,” which is the one we’re looking for here. Go ahead and give that a tap.

This will present a handful of options:

l  None: No lock screen security at all.

l  Swipe: Not really secure at all, this option unlocks the device just by swiping on the lock screen.

l  Pattern: Unlocks the device by using a specific swipe pattern along a series of nine dots.

l  PIN: Personal Identification Number. You know, like the one you have for your debit card. But don’t use the same one, please.

l  Password: Not your Google password, mind you, but one specific to the lock screen. This is the most cumbersome way to unlock your device.

l  Tap the one you want to use and go through the prompts to set it up.

Which one you choose is up to you—each one has its pros and cons. For example, Pattern and PIN options can easily be found by checking the finger smudges or streaks on the display (unless you’re a serial screen cleaner), where a password is much more difficult to visually crack. On the other hand, a PIN is theoretically more robust than a password, unless you’re using a jumble of letters and numbers for said password. Really, it’s a crapshoot—but any security is better than no security.

Setting up a secured lock screen is an annoying necessity to most users, because it takes longer to unlock your device. Fortunately, newer versions of Android have “Smart Lock,” which makes much easier work of unlocking your device when you’re at home, in the car, or anywhere else when you can be sure that it’s actually you doing the unlocking.

Are you considering switching cell phone carriers? First, you need to unlock your iPhone or Android smartphone. This guide will help you better understand just what is a locked phone and why do carriers lock them. This guide will also help explain how the unlocking process ultimately gives your device the freedom it deserves. We’ve compiled easy, step-by-step instructions on how to unlock your iPhone or Android smartphone. Click here for the step-by-step instructions.

Why is my smartphone locked anyway?

Let’s start by understanding just what is a locked phone to begin with. High-end smartphones, like the iPhone 5S and Galaxy S4 are very expensive — $599-799, depending on make and model. Traditionally, carriers subsidize the purchase price in exchange for, on average, a two-year contract. As a result you end up paying closer to $199 for your phone. If you want to purchase one of these devices without a contract or “SIM free,” as they call it, you’ll need to pay the full $599-799 upfront.

The binding contract ensures that the carrier is able to recoup its subsidy over the course of the contract. If you break the contract early for any reason, they charge you an ETF (early termination fee) to ensure they get their money back.

So why should I unlock my smartphone?

GSM devices (phones with SIM card slots), once unlocked, can be used on any compatible carrier around the world that provides GSM service. It’s literally as easy as popping out your current SIM card and putting the SIM card of your choice in the phone.

For example, in the U.S., AT&T customers who are eligible to unlock can do so with most smartphones and easily switch to T-Mobile without changing phones. Since both carriers use GSM technology, consumers can just switching out the SIM card.

Also worth noting, you will get more cash for your unlocked phone compared to a phone locked to your carrier when you trade it in. An unlocked phone can be used – and sold – anywhere around the world, which increases the amount of money people are willing to pay for your used phone. If you have a locked AT&T iPhone, however, the new buyer will also have to be on AT&T or the phone will need to be unlocked by the new owner. Unlocking a device, if you’re not the original contract owner, is impossible in some cases and can cost up to $150 today through a third party in other cases, and this dramatically decreases the price a new buyer is willing to pay you for that old phone.

At Gazelle, we pay much more for an unlocked AT&T phone than a locked phone: