Pattern Locks Are Unsafe: Secure Your OnePlus Open Phone Now with These Tips

Pattern locks have been available for about as long as people can remember, and they have been hugely popular with people thanks to how easy it is to simply swipe your screen and unlock your smartphone, as against, say, keying in the 4-digit PIN/ 6-digit PIN. However, pattern locks are easy to crack, and today, we bring you all you want to know about pattern locks and how to create a hard pattern lock. Further to this, we also tell you how to move beyond pattern locks and what to do in case you forgot the hard pattern lock you just set and are unable to unlock your smartphone.

Part 1: What You Need to Know About Pattern Locks

Pattern lock is an Android-only feature that makes it easy for users to have a modicum of security on their smartphones. Most users do not prefer using and remembering a PIN to unlock the smartphone. Creating a pattern makes it easier, somehow.

There is a 9-point grid on which you swipe your finger from point to point, in any direction, and when you take your finger off, that pattern you swiped becomes the key to unlock your smartphone.

Pattern locks were exceedingly common only a few years ago, and they are not recommended for use any longer due to concerns (mentioned later in the article).

1.1: Popularity and Usage

Old habits die hard, or so they say, right? That’s because it is true. We are creatures of habit, and pattern locks have been around for a long, long time. We are accustomed to pattern locks. So, even with even easier technologies such as fingerprint recognition and face recognition, we tend to gravitate towards the familiar old pattern lock.

The only thing is, there is a reason why pattern locks are no longer the preferred option to use for unlocking your smartphones. As it happens, that reason is security, and it can be very easy for humans to take a swipe (pardon the pun) at your pattern lock. And guess what? The research conducted suggests that they would get it right with an unsettling accuracy.

1.2: Advantages and Drawbacks

With on-the-go lifestyles, our smartphones have become indispensable and contain some of the most sensitive aspects of our lives – IDs, credit and debit cards in digital wallets, photo and video memories, business documents – you name it, the smartphones have it, on the go. This has opened our lives up to the public at large, and if someone steals our smartphone or, best case, finds it, the only barrier preventing them from being privy to all that wealth of our sensitive information is that screen lock – the pattern lock that we set on our smartphones. That’s it – the single pattern lock stands between malicious actors and our data. You might be beginning to realize just how crazy this is.

Advantages of Pattern Locks

There are two advantages to using pattern locks. One, they are better than nothing. Two, they are easy to use. And that’s about it. There is no third advantage to pattern locks. We might think we set a hard pattern lock that nobody could guess, but, as research proves, we might be thinking too low of human prowess.

Disadvantages of Pattern Locks

Security, or rather, the lack of it, is the lone disadvantage of using a pattern lock. What good is a pattern lock that can be easily deciphered? Sure, they are easy to use, and they are better than not having anything, but would you really want to protect your life’s data with something that could be, as researchers found out, breached in under 5 attempts? We don’t think you do!

The research found that 64% of test subjects who were shown videos of people unlocking their phones could correctly guess a 6-point pattern lock, that too after viewing the video only once! That number shot up to 80% if they were allowed to see the video again. That is simply astounding and a nightmare for security. When it comes to PINs, only 11% could guess a 6-digit PIN after viewing the unlocking video once, and that number shot up to 27% when they could see the video two times.

Part 2: How To Create a Hard Pattern Lock (Including Remembering Complex Patterns)

Now, if you must continue using a pattern lock, let’s help you know how to create a hard pattern lock that would not be as easy to decipher as easy pattern locks. For that, you should know how people use pattern locks, the kind of pattern locks they create, and the ones that are the most commonly used pattern locks. That way, you can avoid those fallacies and create a hard pattern lock for your smartphone.

2.1: The Pattern Locks People Use Most Commonly

Marte Loge, an M.Sc. Computer Science student, gave a presentation on pattern locks at DEFCON 23 and made a bold claim. She said, “Tell me who you are, and I will tell you your lock pattern.”

She presented the following statistics to support her claim:

• - In her research, she found that 77% of people started with one of the 4 corners when creating a pattern lock.
• - 44% of people started with the top-left dot and 15% with the top-right, while the bottom-left was preferred by 14% of her test subjects.
• - People set 5-point pattern locks on average, and most users were content with a 4-point pattern.

These are some of the most common pattern locks people create:

• - patterns in the shapes of alphabets,
• - patterns in the shapes of numerals,
• - patterns in any other simple shape, such as square, triangle, star, etc.

To understand how this is a security nightmare, the possible combinations for a 4-point pattern are a measly 1624, whereas by adding just 1 more point to the pattern and creating a 5-point pattern, the number of possible combinations becomes 7152, an increase of 5528 combinations. In stark contrast, creating a 9-point pattern would give you over 140,000 possible combinations!

2.2: How to Create a Hard Pattern Lock

Knowing what most people do when creating a pattern lock, it becomes easy to avoid those mistakes and instead create a hard pattern lock for oneself.

• - Do not start creating a pattern lock from any of the 4 corners of the grid.
• - Never use your first initial as your pattern lock.
• - Never use the shape of a numeral as your pattern lock.
• - Use all 9 points on the grid to create your pattern lock, and contrary to popular belief, you can go over the connecting lines several times, creating a hard pattern lock that would not be as easy for people to decipher!

Part 3: Going Beyond Pattern Locks

You might think that now that you have set a hard pattern lock, you are good to go. Hardly. Technology has evolved, so have methods to break into your device.

Step 1: Set a 6-digit PIN

The minimum you should do today is set a 6-digit PIN to unlock your phone. Consider this a necessary investment into the safety of your data residing on your smartphone.

Step 2: Use Fingerprint Recognition (or Face Recognition on Apple Devices)

All modern smartphones released over the last decade have come with fingerprint recognition. Using fingerprint recognition requires you to set a 6-digit PIN and then set a fingerprint to unlock your device. You can set additional fingerprints, too.

This way, your device is the most secure it can be today. In case your fingerprint is not recognized for any reason, the phone falls back on the 6-digit PIN that you can enter and unlock your phone.

While face recognition is available on both Android and Apple devices, it is truly secure only on Apple devices. This is why Apple iPhones released after the iPhone X in 2017 have come only with Face ID. They fall back on a minimum 6-digit PIN (called Passcode in Apple world) to unlock in case the face does not get recognized in the first attempt.

Part 4: How To Unlock Phone If Hard Pattern Lock Forgotten

Just in case you set a hard pattern lock and promptly forgot that abstruse pattern you just set, we have a tool for you to quickly unlock your phone in case of a forgotten hard pattern lock: Wondershare Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock.

Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android)

Remove the Hard Pattern Lock on Your OnePlus Open If You Forgot!

• Remove all Android screen locks (PIN/pattern/fingerprints/face ID) in minutes.
• Bypass the FRP lock of Samsung without a PIN or Google account.
• Everyone can handle the lock screen without any tech knowledge.
• Provide specific removal solutions to promise good success rate.

4,008,671 people have downloaded it

Download the latest version of Dr.Fone from the Wondershare website and launch the app.

Step 1: Click Android under Toolbox > Screen Unlock.

Step 2: Click Unlock Android Screen.

Step 3: Select your device manufacturer.

Step 4: Prepare your device to unlock the screen.

When the greyed Next button becomes available, click it and wait for your device to be unlocked.

All data on the OnePlus Open device is wiped under this method. Select Samsung phones may be unlocked without data loss. Check this list for devices that may be unlocked without data loss.

Closing Words

Whether it is an easy pattern lock or a hard pattern lock, the fact is that pattern locks are antiquated and a security nightmare. A minimum 6-digit PIN must be used, and using fingerprint recognition is the preferred way to go for Android devices. Using fingerprint recognition will require that users create a 6-digit PIN. On Apple devices launched after 2017, there is Face ID, Apple’s marketing term for face recognition. If you did indeed still set a hard pattern lock, only to promptly forget it, use Wondershare Dr.Fone – Screen Unlock (Android) to seamlessly unlock your phone right now.

How to Change Lock Screen Wallpaper on OnePlus Open

Every smartphone user wants their lock screen wallpapers to be the finest quality. Since the OnePlus Open device comes with a generic lock screen wallpaper on itself, changing it is necessary. Regardless of your Android device, the need to change the lock screen wallpaper on Android is significant. If so, the article will provide two diverse techniques familiar to any Android device.

Along with the basic methods, the article will redirect its discussion to changing the lock screen wallpaper for different brands. Find more about how to change the lock screen wallpaper on Android with the available methods and techniques to bring aesthetics to your device.

Part 1: How To Change Lock Screen Picture on Android Phone With 2 Common Methods

Every Android smartphone has its interface to follow while changing the lock screen wallpaper or screen saver of the OnePlus Open device. However, before we dive into the OnePlus Open device-specific details, let’s dissect the two common methods to change the lock screen wallpaper on Android:

Method 1: Pressing Home Screen Method

The first thing to try for changing the lock screen wallpaper includes the long press technique. This technique is available for almost all Android devices, a basic approach to changing lock screen wallpapers. To know how it is done, follow the steps provided below:

Step 1: As you unlock your Android smartphone, press the clear region until the home-screen options appear on the front.

Step 2: Select the “Wallpaper” option in the available buttons to lead to another window showing different wallpapers.

Step 3: Out of all the wallpapers, select any of them and tap on the “Apply” button to set it as your lock screen wallpaper.

Method 2: Using Your Gallery

You can also set your favorite picture as the Android lock screen wallpaper from the settings provided in your gallery. To know how you can utilize your device’s Gallery, look into the steps provided next:

Step 1: Access the menu of your Android device and locate the “Gallery” app in the available options. Continue to locate your respective photo in the “Albums.”

Image name: lock-screen-wallpaper-on-android-3.jpg

Image alt: access the gallery

Step 2: Choose and open the image on the screen, and continue to select the “Three-Dotted” icon on the bottom-right of the screen.

Step 3: On selecting the option of “Set as wallpaper,” you will apply the particular image from the Gallery as your lock screen wallpaper.

Part 2: How to Change Lock Screen Wallpaper on Different Brands of Android Phones

The provided methods in the above part are comprehensive in changing the lock screen wallpaper of any Android smartphone. This, however, is not the same and is true for every Android device in the market. Since the difference in operation brings a clash for many users, the need for an idea for different smartphone brands is essential.

For this part, we will bring a guide explaining how to change the lock screen wallpaper on Android of different brands:

For Samsung Users

Step 1: On unlocking your Samsung, hold the empty space on your home screen to open a set of options. Select “Wallpapers” from the available list and continue to the next screen.

Step 2: Choose the option of “My wallpapers” or “Gallery” from the available list and select the wallpaper of your choice. As you select one, you will have to set it as your “Home screen,” “Lock screen,” or wallpaper for both screens.

Step 3: Once you observe the image on the preview window, tap on the button on the bottom to set it as your lock screen wallpaper.

Step 1: As you access the home screen of your Google Pixel, continue to hold the space. This will open a list of options where you must tap on “Wallpaper & style.” Continue to select the “Change wallpaper” option to bring new colors to your Google Pixel.

Step 2: On the next screen, select any particular category you want to set the lock screen wallpaper. For instance, if you selected “My photos,” choose your image and preview it on the following screen.

Step 3: To proceed, specify where you wish to set it as your wallpaper. As the options appear on the front, select the “Lock screen” option and continue to set your wallpaper.

For Motorola Users

Step 1: Lead into the “Settings” of your Motorola device and look for the “Wallpaper & style” option in the list.

Step 2: Select any options appearing on the next screen that defines the location from where you will add the new wallpaper. Selecting a particular wallpaper from the available options leads to the “Preview” screen.

Step 3: Continue to select the “Lock Screen” option on the preview screen and tap on the “Tick” icon at the bottom. To confirm, tap “Lock screen” to change the wallpaper on the lock screen of your Motorola.

Step 1: Launch the “Settings” application on your OnePlus smartphone and continue to the “Personalizations” option.

Step 2: On the next screen, continue to the “Wallpapers” section and go through the available media to select a new wallpaper.

Step 3: As you select a particular wallpaper and continue to the preview screen, select the “Apply” button and proceed to choose “Lock Screen” from the pop-up menu.

Part 3: Top 10 Download Sites About Cool Screen Wallpaper on Android

What if you feel that you do not have the coolest screen wallpaper that you can change on your Android device? Before changing your Android lock screen wallpaper on your device, find a unique option that can be easily replaced. Instead of limiting yourselves to the options available on the OnePlus Open device, you can consider moving to different download sites for downloading the coolest lock screen wallpaper:

1. Zedge

Zedge is one of the most premium websites for accessing wallpapers for Android devices. With accessibility to content from exclusive artists, Zedge presents the best personalization options to its users. For effective wallpaper creation, you can add your creativity to bring in the best results for your device.

2. Interfacelift

For exclusive access to free wallpapers of multiple categories, Interfacelift provides some impressive and high-quality results. This intuitive wallpaper site provides some captivating options. Along with that, it asserts a special force on photographs of landscapes, which makes it a great site.

3. Unsplash

Known for keeping royalty-free, high-quality content, Unsplash can be a great Android wallpaper site. Download your favorite wallpapers that will perfectly suit your Android device. Along with its smooth interface, Unsplash offers diversity with its dedicated Unsplash+ plan.

4. Mobile9

For variety, you can always go for Mobile9. This unique, expressive, and productive wallpaper site provides the best Android wallpapers. Following this, it offers multiple diversity of content, including ringtones and books. However, to get your hands on the finest quality wallpaper, do consider trying the site.

5. Dribbble

If you seek the best design for your Android lock screen, Dribbble provides the finest quality. Out of the 10,000+ designs, you can find your choice. Along with that, the site service also presents the wallpapers in dedicated categories. Searching for the right Android lock screen wallpaper gets easy in such an environment.

6. Wallpapers.com

For a service that provides dedicated Android lock screen wallpapers, Wallpapers.com holds a good position. With the finest wallpapers to use on the Android device, you can also customize the available wallpapers. Dedicated categories make it easy for users to select their favorite wallpaper from the 1000+ options.

7. Pexels

There are very few websites that offer the finest quality wallpapers for free. Pexels, being one of them, displays a great interface for users with sub-categorization. With descriptions for every wallpaper, you can select the best one for your device. Find a categorized section of more than 70,000 wallpapers on this platform.

8. Pixabay

Who won’t have heard of Pixabay as a haven for lock screen wallpapers? This platform provides a different perspective on wallpaper search. To find the best option, you can diversify your search according to orientation, size, and color. This makes your search much easier and swift for changing the Android lock screen.

9. 500px

To access the best wallpapers in the world, 500px is a good platform to keep in mind. While it helps a wide community fulfill their tasks, it can be a purposeful option. For diverse operability in the site, users can also sell their work into a global marketplace.

10. Wallpaperswide

From desktop to Android wallpapers, Wallpaperswide holds a diverse set of options. This platform is designed to provide a diversity of categories to its users. With a simple interface, it is a great option for gathering content.

Bonus Part: How To Unlock Android Screen if Forgotten the Password

Although you have learned how to change the lock screen wallpaper on Android, multiple complications can arise. One such problem that can occur on your device involves it getting locked. If the OnePlus Open device gets locked, you cannot use it. For an Android whose password is locked, you will require a platform to amend the problem.

Dr.Fone – Screen Unlock (Android) provides a complete platform to unlock the Android device. This is the right place to go if you seek to remove such locks from your device within minutes. With the option of bypassing any screen lock, it can protect your device’s data.

Such options make it the finest platform to resolve issues with the Android device. To know how one can unlock their Android device with Dr.Fone, look through the provided steps:

Step 1: Open Screen Unlock Tool

You need to download and launch Dr.Fone on your computer and continue to the “Screen Unlock” tool. On accessing the tool, connect your Android device with a cable.

Step 2: Start Unlocking the Android

Proceed to select the “Unlock Android Screen/FRP” option and continue into the “Unlock Android Screen” option.

Step 3: Select Mode and Device Details

If you intend not to lose data, continue to the “Remove without data loss” option. You will have to select the details of the connected Android device.

Step 4: Access Download Mode

Put your Android device in Download Mode by powering it off. Continue to press the “Volume Down,” “Home,” and “Power” buttons simultaneously. After a few seconds, press the “Volume Up” button to enter the Download Mode.

Step 5: Unlock Android Successfully

The package starts downloading as the OnePlus Open device gets into Download Mode. It will take a while until it completes. Once the download process gets completed, press the “Remove Now” button to remove the Android screen lock.

Image name: lock-screen-wallpaper-on-android-32.jpg

Image link: https://images.wondershare.com/drfone/guide/android-unlock-07.png

Image alt: start removing screen lock

Conclusion

The details provided are comprehensive in helping you change the lockscreen wallpaper on Android. While learning unique ways, along with dedicated techniques for smartphones, we are sure that you are clear about how to change lock screen picture on Android phone.Why not take a try now? This article has also introduced some of the best sites to download Android wallpapers. For effective results and to save your locked device from getting useless, use Dr.Fone – Screen Unlock.

Mastering Android Device Manager: The Ultimate Guide to Unlocking Your OnePlus Open Device

So, what is Android Device Manager?  Android has this amazing native tool to help you locate and remote wipe your lost or stolen phone. We lock our phones via passwords or patterns or fingerprints to maintain the security but what if someone dares to meddle with your phone or unfortunately, it gets stolen? Don’t worry, all you need to do is let Android Device Manager unlock your Android phone. For this, it just needs to be enabled on your phone (before you unluckily locked yourself out of it). Android Device Manager unlocks your phone in a small amount of time, saving you from all the troubles.

In addition to this, the Android Device Manager also unlocks your password/pin-encrypted phone if you have forgotten the passcode by chance. The procedure is quite simple; all you need is a Google account to set this up onyour phone and then you can make use of any other online device to track down your lost or stolen phone or to even wipe all data in it. Phew!

Using the Android Device Manager to track a lost phone

Part 1: What is Android Device Manager lock?

Android Device Manager is Google’s take on Apple’s Find My iPhone. Enabling the ADM is quite easy; just go to google.com/android/devicemanager  on your computer and search through your list of devices that are already connected to your Google account. Once you are there, you can easily send a notification to the phone you want to enable remote password application and wiping upon.

ADM comes with a set of features that helps you to unlock your Android phone as well. It not only helps you to find your device, but also Ring it, lock it, and wipe and erase all the data as well, if your phone is lost or stolen. Once you’re logged into the ADM website from your computer, you can avail all these options once your phone is located. It is a wise option to get your device locked by Android Device Manager in case it is lost or stolen, so that your phone is secured.

Android Device Manager can unlock your phone under a specific set of circumstances only.

• • First of all, Android Device Manager needs to be enabled on your phone before it is lost, stolen, etc.
• • Secondly, your phone can only be tracked by ADM if the GPS option is switched on.
• • Thirdly, the OnePlus Open device you are using for ADM, must be connected to Wi-Fi or internet, to login to your Google account.
• • Lastly, Android Device Manager is not compatible for all Android versions. For now, it is only compatible with devices running Android 4.4 and above, so your phone must be in this category for ADM to work.

Part 2: How to unlock Android phone with Android Device Manager?

Just act according to the following steps, and the Android Device Manager will unlock your phone.

1. On your computer or any other mobile phone, visit: google.com/android/devicemanager

2. Then, sign in with the help of your Google login details that you had used in your locked phone as well.

3. In the ADM interface, choose the OnePlus Open device you want to unlock. Now, select “Lock”.

4. Enter a temporary password. Now go ahead and click on “Lock” again.

5. If the previous step was successful, you should be seeing a confirmation below the box with the buttons – Ring, Lock and Erase.

6. Now, you should see a password field on your phone screen. Enter a temporary password to unlock your phone.

7. Visit your phone’s lock screen settings and disable the temporary password.

The Android Device Manager has successfully unlocked your phone!

A downside to this process, is an error message faced by some users while using ADM. Many users have reported the issue, that when they have tried using ADM to unlock their locked device, an error message has occurred, saying, “since Google has verified that a screen lock is already set”. Basically, this error message conveys that you will not be able to unlock your phone using Android Device Manager, and this is a flaw on Google’s part, not your phone’s.

Part 3: What to do if phone is locked by Android Device Manager

There are 2 situations where you would want to know how to unlock the Android Device Manager lock – one, when you have unfortunately forgotten the screen lock passcode and the other is when your phone is locked by Android Device Manager.

ADM is built to completely lock your device so that unknown people cannot access it. So, if your phone is locked by Android Device Manager, you might be in a problem.While ADM is a wonderful tool to lock your phone or erase and wipe data if its stolen or lost, most of the users have reported the issue that they cannot unlock their phones that are locked by Android Device Manager. A possible solution to this is adding a temporary password via Google login and bypassing the ADM lock. Or, you can try resetting the password again by entering a new password via ADM. If that does not work, you can make use of several third-party applications which can be found in the internet, that will help to completely erase the Android Device Manager lock.

So, now you know how to unlock the Android Device Manager lock. Do keep in mind, your device must be connected to internet or Wi-Fi, to login to your Google account.

Part 4: Unlock Android devices with Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android)

As mentioned before, many were unable to unlock their phones with ADM. This is why we use the Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android) . It is hassle-free and easy-to-use; the Dr.Fone toolkit needs to be downloaded on your computer and with a few easy steps, it erases any kind of lock-screen passcode and avoids any kind of data loss as well!

Dr.Fone - Android Lock Screen Removal

Remove 4 Types of Android Screen Lock without Data Loss

• It can remove 4 screen lock types - pattern, PIN, password & fingerprints.
• Only remove the lock screen, no data loss at all.
• No tech knowledge asked, everybody can handle it.
• Work for Samsung Galaxy S/Note/Tab series, and LG G2, G3, G4, etc.

3,224,627 people have downloaded it

This tool works on removing all four types of lock-screen passcodes – PINs, Patterns, Fingerprints, and Passwords. Anyone can use this tool following these easy steps:

You can also use this tool to bypass the locked screen beyond Samsung and LG.Things you should pay attention is that it will remove all the data after finishing unloking on other brand android phone.

1. Fire up the Dr.Fone toolkit for Android on your computer and select the Screen Unlock among all the other tools.

2. Now, connect your Android device to the computer and select phone model in the list on the program.

3. Boot your phone into Download mode:

• • Power off your Android phone.
• • Press and hold the volume down+the home button + the power button at the same time.
• • Press the volume up button to enter Download Mode.

4. After you get your phone into the Download mode, it will start downloading a recovery package. Wait for this to be completed.

5. When the recovery package download is completed, Dr.Fone toolkit will begin removing the screen lock. This process will not cause any data loss on your Android device, so do not worry. Once the whole procedure is over, you can easily access your Android phone without entering any kind of password. Hurrah!

The Dr.Fone software is currently compatible with Samsung Galaxy S/Note/Tab series, and LG G2/G3/G4 series. For windows, it is compatible with 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista.

The Android Device Manager is an excellent initiative taken by Google to give people the chance to not lose any data and regain access to their phones. This also teaches us to take precautions before such unfortunate incidents take place. Phones are probably one of the most important belongings of ours, in which we confide all our private and confidential documents that we wouldn’t want to be meddled with.

So, make use of this guide and get back command over your Android phone.

Also read: