How to disable the Windows 10 lock screen

Microsoft has made it much harder to get rid of the lock screen after the Anniversary Update. Here are your options.

Windows 10 is a universal operating system, which means it's designed for both touchscreens and non-touchscreens. But the lock screen -- which we first saw in Windows 8 -- is pretty much only designed for touchscreens.

If you have a non-touchscreen PC running Windows 10, the lock screen is, at best, redundant. It's not even the log-in screen -- it's a screen that needs to be tapped away before you get to the log-in screen. I'm not sure why Microsoft hasn't made turning off the lock screen a quick and easy settings tweak, but they haven't.

In fact, after the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Microsoft has doubled down on the lock screen -- a registry hack that previously worked to disable the lock screen no longer works, and the Group Policy Editor in Pro versions of Windows 10 also no longer allows you to get rid of the lock screen.

In other words, the lock screen is here to stay forever.

Well, maybe. You do have a couple of options for making the lock screen less obnoxious, if not completely vanished from sight.

Option 1: Disable all pre-desktop screens

If you disable the log-in screen in Windows 10, you will not have to swipe/tap/key away the lock screen when you boot up your PC. You will be automatically logged in right away.

To do this, check out our guide here.

While this option technically gets rid of the lock screen, it also gets rid of the log-in screen. Remember, the lock screen and the log-in screen are two different things, and the log-in screen is what keeps your device safe. Therefore, I do not recommend this option unless you are using a non-portable device (e.g. a desktop PC), because disabling the log-in screen allows anyone who picks up your laptop or tablet to hop straight to the desktop and start messing around.

Option 2: Disable the non-bootup lock screen

Windows 10 actually has two lock screens. Well, they're the same lock screen, but they run in two separate instances: The first runs when you turn on your computer, and the second runs when you unlock your computer from an already-turned-on state, such as sleep or manual lock (Start > Account > Lock). At this moment, we haven't figured out how to turn off the first lock screen. But you can turn off the second lock screen, which means you will not see the lock screen when it awakes from sleep or when you unlock it from a manual lock -- you'll go straight to the login screen.

There are a few different ways to do this, but the easiest way I found was to just disable the AppLock folder, which is essentially the lock screen 'app' on your hard drive. To do this, open File Explorer and go to C > Windows > System Apps and locate the Microsoft. LockApp_cw5n1h2txyewy folder.

Right-click this folder and click Rename. Do not change the name of the folder, but simply add .bak to the end of it and hit enter.

You may need to provide administrator permission to rename the folder. If you see a UAC pop-up, hit Continue to continue.

You can now lock your computer or put it to sleep, and when you unlock or wake it up, you will no longer see the lock screen. You will either see the log-in screen or the desktop, depending on what your login settings are. If you would like to get your lock screen back, simply go back to the folder and remove the .bak from its name.

Again: This will not disable the bootup lock screen; if you shut down your computer, you will still see the lock screen when it first boots up.

The following registry hack no longer works after the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Run from the pop-up menu. In the Run dialog box, type regedit and click OK. You may encounter a User Account Control (UAC) pop-up window asking you if you want to allow this program to make changes to your computer. Click Yes to proceed.

2. The Registry Editor will open. In this window, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows.

3. In the Windows folder, right-click in the right pane of the Registry Editor, select New and then select Key. This will appear as a folder in the Windows folder, titled New Key #1. Rename it Personalization and select the folder by clicking it.

4. In the Personalization folder, right-click in the right pane of the Registry Editor, select New and then select DWORD (32-bit) Value. You will see a new item pop-up in the right pane of the Registry Editor, titled New Value #1. Rename this to NoLockScreen.

5. Double-click NoLockScreen to open its value data. Under Value data: change the value from 0to 1 and click OK. Exit out of the Registry Editor and reboot your PC -- you will no longer see the lock screen (though you will still see the log-in screen, where you'll need to enter your password to log in to your PC -- unless you disable the log-in screen using this tutorial).

Samsung Galaxy S5 User Guide

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is a highly advanced Android phone, with a tons of helpful features that make it easy and secure to multitask, share files, take photos and more. However, some of the most important features may be turned off by default while other useless capabilities come toggled on out of the box. These are 5 features you should enable on the Galaxy S5 and 5 you should disable with extreme prejudice.

Disable Touch and Unlock Sounds

When you first turn on the Galaxy S5 and start navigating through its UI and clicking icons, you’ll keep hearing a “bloop” noise. Unlock the phone and you’ll probably hear water rippling. While these sounds are cute the first few times you hear them, they quickly become annoying, particularly when you’re trying to check your phone discretely.

To disable the Galaxy S5’s annoying touch and unlock sounds:

1. Select Sound from the Settings menu.

2. Toggle “Touch sounds” to off if it is checked

Advertisement

3. Toggle “Screen lock sound” to off if it is checked.

4. Uncheck “Dialing keypad tone” if you don’t want the Galaxy S5 to make noises while you’re entering a phone number to call.

Enable Personalized Predictions on Keyboard

The Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with one of the best virtual keyboards available on any phone, but to take full advantage of this powerful input tool, you need to tweak a few settings. The keyboard suggests words as you type, but it works much better if you allow the software to analyze your word patterns from emails and posts in Gmail, Facebook,” it will suggest “Thrones” as the next word because you’ve used that phrase before in one of your accounts.“Game of and Twitter. With this function enabled, next time you type the words

By default, your Galaxy S5 also probably comes with keyboard vibrations turned on. It provides good tactile feedback, but it’s a bit too weak. You can turn the intensity of these vibrations up and make sure the keyboard improves its next-word prediction ability by learning from things you’ve already written.

To tweak your Galaxy S5 keyboard:

1. Select Sound from the settings menu.

2. Tap “Vibration intensity.”

3. Slide the “Haptic feedback” slider all the way to the right and tap OK.

4. Toggle “Vibrate when tapped” to on under “Samsung Keyboard” if it is off.

5. Navigate to Language and Input in the settings menu.

6. Tap the gear icon to the right of “Samsung keyboard.”

7. Tap “Predictive Text.”

8. Toggle “Personalized data” to on if it is off.

9. Select “Learn from Gmail.”

10. Log into your Gmail account if necessary.

11. Tap Accept to give the keyboard permission to learn from your Gmail.

12. Repeat steps 9 through 11 for Facebook, Twitter and other accounts. The Samsung keyboard will use your previous posts and emails to learn about which words and phrases you use and make more accurate next-word predictions when you type.

Enable Remote Control on Your Lock Screen, Notification Drawer

Thanks to a built-in infrared port and helpful Smart Remote app, the Samsung Galaxy S5 doubles as a universal remote control you can use to change channels on your TV, control your set top box or jog tracks on your home stereo. Considering how often most of us reach for the remote control, you don’t want to have to open a separate app every time you want to raise the volume on your home theater. Fortunately, if you enable the right settings, you can put a miniature version of the on-screen remote in the app drawer and on the lock screen, where the volume, channel and power buttons are always a swipe or button press away.

To place the Galaxy S5 remote on your notification drawer and lock screen:

1. Launch Smart Remote. You can find it in the app drawer.

2. Set up Smart Remote if you haven’t already. You’ll be asked to select your cable provider.

3. Add remote control devices if you haven’t already. You add a device by tapping the remote icon in the upper right corner of the screen and selecting your TV and set-top box providers.

4. Select Settings from the menu in the upper right corner of the screen.

5. Check “Show remote control on notification panel.”

6. Check “Auto display remote control on lock screen.”

Increase Screen Timeout, Disable Smart Stay

By default, the Galaxy S5’s screen turns off way too quickly. If you’re reading a web page or an email and not actively touching the screen, your device can go to sleep (and lock) before you want it to. Samsung has an optional feature called Smart Stay, which uses the webcam to see if you’re looking at the screen. However, this feature wastes system resources by looking at you through the webcam. Instead, just change the display timeout to 3 minutes (or more).

To change the display timeout:

1. Select Display from the Settings menu.

2. Uncheck “Smart stay” if it is enabled.

3. Tap “Screen timeout.”

4. Select a time of 3 minutes.

Enable Multi Window Mode

The Galaxy S5’s 5.1-inch, 1080p display is big and sharp enough to let you do more than one thing at a time, provided that you have multi window mode turned on. With multi window mode, you can see two different apps on screen at once and even transfer data between them. Just imagine dragging an image from the gallery into an open email message or watching YouTube on the right side of your screen while you read text messages from the boss on the left.

To enable Multi Window mode:

1. Select Multi window from the settings menu.

2. Toggle Multi window to on.

3. Check “Open in multi window view.” Enabling this setting will cause email attachments to open in a separate window by default, allowing you to keep reading your message while viewing that cute baby picture or spreadsheet that came with it.

Android Security Bulletin in March

Google has detailed the latest Android Security Bulletin and released the fixes for Nexus and Pixel devices.

These are exploits and other security concerns that affect Android as a whole. Issues with the operating system, kernel patches, and driver updates may not affect any particular device, but these need to be fixed in the Android base by the people maintaining the OS code. That means Google, and they've detailed the things they have improved for this month.

Updated factory images for Pixel and Nexus devices that are supported are available, and over-the-air updates are coming out to users of Android. If you don't want to wait, you can download and flash the factory image or OTA update file manually, and here are some easy instructions to get you started.

How to manually update your Nexus or Pixel

These changes have been released to the people making Android phones for at least 30 days, but Google can't force anyone to deliver them to you. If you're using a phone from Samsung, LG, or anyone besides Google, you'll need to wait for them to send an update and shouldn't try to flash any of the above files.

Of course, Google has safety checks in place to prevent any problems on your phone because of any security exploits. Verify Apps and Safety Net are at work anytime you add an app to your phone, and seamless updates to Google Play Services will keep them up to date regardless of any hold-up from a manufacturer or carrier. Details and incident numbers can be found in the yearly Android Security Review.

Highlights for March 2017

March 2017's update comes with two patch dates: 03/01/2017 and 03/05/2017.

A remote code execution vulnerability in OpenSSL and BoringSSL was patched. This exploit could allow a specially built file to corrupt files stored in memory and potentially could allow remote code execution. All Android devices (everything else that connects to the internet as well) are vulnerable. Google has built patches for Android versions 4.4.4 through 7.1.1.

An elevation of privilege vulnerability in the recovery verifier that could enable kernel access to a local app has been patched. As above, this is a critical patch for all devices and Google provides a fix in AOSP for versions 4.4.4 to 7.1.1.

The AOSP Messaging app has been further patched to address a vulnerability that could enable another app to bypass Android's system-level protections and see data it shouldn't be able to access.

Updated firmware binaries to address hardware-specific vulnerabilities were received from Broadcom, HTC, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Realtek, Synaptics and Google themselves for the ION subsystem. Any of these binaries that are applicable to Nexus or Pixel devices are available at the Google Developer site.

Previous bulletin highlights

Here are summaries and highlights of recent patches from the monthly Android Security Bulletin. As with the current bulletin, these issues were also mitigated by Google's Verify Apps, Safety Net, and seamless updates to Google Play Services.

February 2017

February 2017's update comes with two patch dates: 02/01/2017 and 02/05/2017.

Qualcomm and MediaTek have issued updates that prevent a malicious app from gaining elevated privileges by executing code in the kernel space. The code for these patches is not publicly available, but updated binary files are available at the Google Developer site. Devices running Android 7.0 or higher were not affected.

The AOSP Messaging and Mail apps have been patched to address a vulnerability that could enable another app to bypass Android's system-level protections and see data it shouldn't be able to access.

The Bionic DNS function (Bionic is Android's standard C library) has been patched to prevent a specific Denial of Service attack that would cause a device to freeze or reboot.

Updated firmware binaries to address hardware-specific vulnerabilities were received from Broadcom, HTC, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Realtek, and Synaptics. Any of these binaries that are applicable to Nexus or Pixel devices are available at the Google Developer site.

If you get an update with a patch date of 02/05/2017, you also have every issue addressed by the 02/01/2017 update in place.

January 2017

January 2017's update comes with two patch dates: 01/01/2017 and 01/05/2017.

Qualcomm has fully patched the various exploits that were collectively called quad rooter. All phones with a patch date of 01/05/16 or later are patched. Qualcomm additionally assisted in patching less severe exploits in the camera and boot loader of some phones.

The multimedia server and support drivers for audio and video components continue to be updated to prevent exploits such as last year's Stage fright issues. Google made a promise to continuously monitor and patch the multimedia system to prevent a repeat and have so far delivered on it.

December 2016

December 2016's update comes with two patch dates: 12/01/2016 and 12/05/2016.

Fixes in the 12/01 update cover Android in general and address issues with the Android operating system itself. The most serious exploit addressed was in the CURL library (software used to transfer data that covers most transfer protocols and security certificates), where a man-in-the-middle attack could be performed by someone with a spoofed security certificate. Other patches for Smart Lock, the telephony system, and comm stack are also included.

The 12/05 patch date covers issues with the kernel or drivers. These aren't part of Android, but Google is the central maintainer and assembles updated code and resources from the folks making the hardware components. This time we see fixes for serious exploits from Qualcomm, MediaTek, and NVIDIA — so chances are your phone needs these. Samsung's Exynos chips are covered outside of the Android Security Bulletin and are patched by Samsung themselves.

How to Lock Apps on Android to Protect Your Personal Information

If you are not a fan of having to go through the process of getting through a pattern or password every time you want to use your phone, the good news is that you don’t have to. There are really just a few Apps on your Android device that have sensitive information you don’t want others getting access to. It would really be great if you could lock those apps individually as opposed to locking the device as a whole.

Well, in light of helping you out, this article will address just how you can lock Apps on your device and not have to type in a code every time you want to use the device.

Part 1. Why you need to Lock Apps on Android?

Part 2. How to Lock Apps in Android

Part 3. 6 Private Apps that you should lock on your Android

Part 1. Why you need to Lock Apps on Android?

Before we get down to the business of locking some of your Apps, let’s look at some of the reasons why you would want to lock certain apps.

You may simply want better access on your device. Locking certain apps will allow you to easily access the device and use it without having to remember passwords and patterns.

If you are a person who is not good at remembering passwords or patterns, simply locking certain apps will help you not get locked out of your entire device which can cause a lot of problems.

If your device is used by more than one person, locking certain apps will keep the other users out of information you would rather they didn’t access.

If you have children, you can eliminate the many accidental in-app purchases by locking the apps your children shouldn’t be on.

Locking apps is also a good way to keep children from content they shouldn’t be accessing.

Part 2. How to Lock Apps in Android

There is always a good reason to Lock Apps on your device and we have a good app you can use to do this.

This app weighs just 3.1MB and the installation is way too quicker! Just after the installation, it is essential to set a lock pattern and choose a security question — in case if you forget the pattern. By default, Guest Mode of LEO Privacy Guard will be activated. In this mode, a set of applications — which are selected according to a preferred set — will be locked. We found the installation procedure of LEO Privacy Guard to be quite simple.

Rather than just letting you lock all those apps, LEO Privacy Guard has a set of options to offer! For instance, you’ve the option to select how lock is enabled. There’s Time Lock and Position Lock. If you use Time Lock, the app locking is enabled during a particular time period. On the other hand, Position Lock analyzes your position and enables lock, or vice versa.

Part 3. 6 Private Apps that you should lock on your Android

There are certain apps that may require to be locked more than others. Of course the choice of which apps you should lock will depend on your own uses and preferences. The following are some of the apps you would like to lock for one reason or another.

1. The Messaging App

This is the application that allows you to send and receive messages. You may want to lock this app if you use your device to send messages of a sensitive nature that you would rather keep private. You may also want to lock this app if your device is used by more than one person and you don’t want other users reading your messages.

2. Email App

Most people use individual email applications such as Yahoo Mail App or Gmail. This is another critical one if you are going to protect your work emails. You may want to lock the email app if your work emails are sensitive in nature and contain information that is not for all individuals.

3. Google Play Services

This is the application that allows you to download and install applications to your device. You may want to lock this one if you are trying to prevent other users from downloading and installing further apps to your device. This is especially valuable if your device is utilized by children.

4. Gallery App

The Gallery app displays all the images on your device. The main reason you may want to lock the Gallery app may be because you have sensitive images that are not suitable for all viewers. Again this is ideal if children make use of your device and you have images that you would rather they didn’t see.

5. Music Pla_x_yer App

This is the Application that you use to play the music on your device. You may want to lock it if you don’t want anyone else making changes to your saved audio files and playlists or don’t want someone listening to your audio files.

6. File Manager App

This is the App that displays all of the files that are saved on your device. It is the ultimate app to lock if you have sensitive information on your device that you would rather not share. Locking this app will ensure that all of the files on your device will remain safe from prying eyes.

Having the ability to lock apps is an easy way to keep information out of the limelight. It also allows you to take full control of your device. Try it, it might just be freeing as opposed to locking your entire device.

How to block calls on your mobile

How many times it happened to you that despite you tell a telemarketing company not to call you they still do it? That's just one case among others to motivate you never ever to receive calls from a particular phone number. In more than one occasion you need to block calls from a contact by which you do not want to be disturbed.

So, here's how you can block incoming calls on your mobile, with options that incorporate the operating systems or applications.

Block incoming calls in iOS
iOS is one of the mobile operating systems that makes it easier to block calls, being an option that comes by default. The block can be done in two ways, from recent call records on the phone or from contacts.

If you want to block a number that you have recently called, you only have to press the "i" with a blue circle around the side of the phone and select the "Block this contact" option. In case you want to block a contact that you have recorded, you just have to go to it and press on the same option. Once done, if a blocked number calls you, you will not receive the call or any warning.

Block incoming calls on Android

In the case of Android the option of blocking calls is not something that comes by default in the operating system (yes it is available in the layer of some software of different manufacturers), although we can divert calls from a contact directly to the mailbox, which is similar to blocking a contact in iOS. To do this you simply need to go to a contact, enter your edition and select "To mailbox" from the options.

The steps to follow in the different devices of Android are different but, to help you as much as possible, we indicate here the how to do it on the most important models in the market now.

Sony Xperia Z y HTC One

To set restrictions on calls, such as blocking, you must do as follows in these devices: Access the list of your contacts and edit the one you want to block. Once you selected the contact, choose divert calls directly to the voice mailbox in the options that appear in the menu. If you haven´t activated the mailbox, the calls will not come in. By the way, in Xperia Z it is possible to use the option Call barring in the Call Settings in the Settings menu.

There is an additional option on the HTC One. Enter the Phone application and open the corresponding menu. Then choose Blocked Contacts - with the specific button Add (+), you can choose which ones you wish to block (here you can even input a number manually).

Samsung Galaxy S4

In this device and also in Galaxy S3 and Note 2, it is possible to take advantage of the option to create a list of blocked contacts. To do this, go to the application and press the menu button. Then choose Call Settings and Block Calls. In the screen that appears you must first confirm that Block Mode is activated and then enter Auto Block List.

At this point you just have to input the desired number or press the contacts button on the right to choose the contact you are looking for (there is a very useful criteria option). The truth is that it’s a simple process and with many options, since you can even define the message for blocking. By the way, there is another way on the Galaxy S4 to block or reject a call: in the contacts list opens the chosen one and after pressing the menu button, select Add to the block list. This is very fast, but it have no option to add a number manually.

Nexus 4

There is a way not specific to block calls but can be used for this purpose in this model. Specifically, it’s sending unwanted calls to the voice mailbox. To complete the process, select the desired number in the contact list, open the corresponding menu and select all calls (from this number) to the voice mailbox.

If this option is not activated by the operator (or simply not set in the device), the phone automatically block the call. Therefore, this possibility can be given additional use as you can see.

You can also use an app to block unwanted calls in all android phone. One of the best applications is Private Zone. In addition to block calls, it offers various options including applock, protection against snoopers, hide photos/videos/music/files. Once installed we only have to go to the feature Block Calls to add the number to the blacklist.

Block incoming calls in Windows Phone

As for Windows Phone, you can find the option to block calls in the operating system. For this you have to go to Settings -> Filter of calls and SMS, then activate the option to block calls and SMS. From the same menu you can add numbers either by entering them manually or from the contacts.

You can also block numbers from the call history. Simply by pressing a few seconds on a number a menu appears and you can choose the option to block that number. In advanced setting options it is also possible to block all calls from unknown numbers.

7 TRICKS TO HIDING SECRET STUFF ON YOUR IPHONE

The eyes may be the window to your soul, but your iPhone is the peephole into your daily life. Who you contact, which apps you use, which selfies you snap — it’s all right there. It’s very possible that your iPhone has been safeguarded with a Touch ID, or maybe you've set up a crazy-complicated passcode. But still, there are probably some rather private things on there you'd prefer people didn't find out when your phone is unlocked. Since Apple hasn't yet added a special iPhone guest mode, if you care about your privacy, it’s worth taking some simple steps to protect it.

Here are 7 easy ways to hide photos, embarrassing app notifications, and a bunch of other secrets in plain sight on your iPhone. 

1.       Hide private pics in your gallery

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 range of private photos. Here's the deal:

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

2)       Select the photo or video that you want to hide

3)       Tap on the share button in the bottom left, and select "Hide"

4)       Confirm that you want to hide the photo or video.

This will hide the selected item from Collections, Years, and Moments -- which means it won't show up as you scroll through recent photos -- but it will still be visible via the Albums tab.

2.       Stash extremely secret stuff inside an app

If your select pics or vids require some next-level, White House-style security, there are some good apps designed for sneakily stashing private things that shall not be found. The best I've found is called Private Zone. It allows you to hide personal staff on both iOS and Android and set a lock in multiple ways: with a password, pattern, or even a faked cover that can hardly be unlocked. What’s more, you can hide your personal files, audios, e-books, and even Apks beside photos and videos.

3.       Use the Notes app to lock up sensitive documents and info

Not every iPhone default app is a total waste of space. Case in point: Notes is exceptionally helpful for staying organized. Thanks to a recent iOS update, you can also use it to protect information and the drafts of your secret Game of Thrones fanfiction novel behind a unique passcode or Touch ID.  With the note in question open, hit the share button, select "Lock Note," and follow the prompts.

4.       Get rid of potentially damning text messages individually

It's easy to delete entire text conversations, but it's also suspicious. What if you just want to expel a certain salacious or potentially incriminating section of a conversation? Here's how to do it: open the message, tap and hold on the text in question, and tap "More" when the pop-up appears. Here, you have the option to select any of the included messages (from any party involved) and trash them individually. Sneaky? Sure. Brilliant? Absolutely.

5.       Edit your recent call history

Who hasn't stayed up all night with a 1-800 hotline psychic once or twice in their life, hmm? Erase the memory of specific calls by tapping the "Recent Calls" tab and swiping right to delete the incriminating evidence.

6.       Turn off select lock-screen notifications

Tinder messages, Neko Atsume updates, and other embarrassing notifications always pop up on your screen at the most inopportune moments. In fact, you can control which apps do what when your phone is locked, so hide that shit! Go to Settings > Notifications and scroll to the offending app(s) and uncheck "Show on Lock Screen."

Bonus tip: when you're in the company of others and you don't want them to see who's texting you, you can set it so that it simply reads "New Text Message" on the screen instead of the contact's name. From the Notifications settings menu, select Messages and uncheck "Show Previews."

7.  Keep your Safari search habits private

If you want to keep your search history on the DL, you'd best be browsing in the private mode so that there's no tracking what you've been up to. Here is how to enable it. 

1)        Tap the New Window icon in the bottom-left corner of Safari,

2)        Select Private

3)        Hit the plus sign in the bottom center. 

Samsung phones will soon unlock your Windows PC for you

Many people own both a Samsung phone and a Windows 10 desktop or notebook PC, especially for work. Now Samsung is preparing an update to its Samsung Flow app that will let you unlock your Windows computer using the fingerprint scanner on your phone, which should be a big help for people concerned with security.

This feature will work if your Galaxy phone has a fingerprint reader like the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, Note 5, Galaxy S6 and others. The Samsung Flow app, in theory, allows you to unlock a PC with just a tap of that fingerprint scanner. Keep in mind that this new feature for Samsung Flow won’t work with the many older desktops and laptops with Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 installed. However, this will certainly be a big plus for business and enterprise PC owners who want both a quick and safe way to unlock their Windows 10 PC, especially if their hardware does not support Microsoft’s own Windows Hello biometric security features.

That update is scheduled to be released sometime in early April. That’s also in line with when Microsoft is supposed to release the next major free update to Windows 10, also known as the Creators Update.

In addition to unlocking your PC with the app, Samsung Flow will also allow compatible Galaxy phones to enable its mobile hotspot so a Windows 10 PC can stay connected on the road via its Wi-Fi hardware. The app will also let PC owners check and reply to any of their phone’s notifications. Finally, the app should let Samsung Flow users transfer content and activity between the phone and PC, although it may not be supported for some apps.

It isn't clear why Windows has enabled Samsung to expand Flow's device to unlock to every computer. The company's technology is based on Microsoft's Windows Hello Companion Device Framework which lets third-party products integrate with Windows' security systems. It's also used by smartwatches and ID cards to let you log in to your PC using specialized mechanisms.

Samsung Flow integrates with the Companion Device Framework to detect unlock attempts on your phone. When you need to login to Windows, you're prompted to scan your fingerprint on your compatible Samsung device. For the system to work, the Flow app has to be installed on your PC and Bluetooth turned on. On the phone, both Bluetooth and NFC are required.

Microsoft has previously discussed launching its own system to let you unlock Windows with your phone. Remote unlocks were billed as one of the key features of its new Microsoft Authenticator app, available for iOS, Android, and Windows 10 Mobile. The functionality still isn't available, though making Samsung's solution more useful. It's likely Microsoft will finally implement native Bluetooth unlocking in the future, letting you sign-in by tapping a prompt on your phone.

As well as letting you unlock your PC with your fingerprint, Samsung Flow makes it much easier to manage your phone from your computer. You can transfer media and active content between either device or mobile notifications to your PC. Microsoft does offer a built-in solution for the latter functionality but it requires the Cortana Android app to be installed first.

With the Windows 10 Creators Update now expected to arrive in less than two months, Samsung Galaxy owners don't have to wait much longer to wait to utilize Flow's remote unlocking feature. It's thought Samsung may detail the revised app at its upcoming Mobile World Congress announcement in Barcelona this month.

The story behind the story: Samsung’s solution is, as the company says on Google Play, a “neat trick,” but a native solution would be better. Microsoft added that capability with the Anniversary Update’s Windows Hello Companion Device Framework. So far, however, we’ve seen mostly fitness trackers and security devices like the Yubi Key take advantage of the authentication feature. Nevertheless, Microsoft has, on several occasions, talked about using Android and iOS smartphones to unlock your Windows 10 PC—most recently in September during the Microsoft Ignite conference. The company has also been testing PC unlocks with a Windows 10 Mobile authenticator app.

Perhaps the Creators Update will finally bring smartphone unlocks to everyone who has a Bluetooth-enabled PC and phone. If so, that will finally bring Windows 10 up to parity with Chrome OS.