You can access some mobile phone features Android And the Iphone (iOS) even if the devices screen is locked. A curious friend can activate crab or the Google Assistant And ask them to make calls or send messages to contacts saved in the address book, for example. Additionally, malicious people can disable location and internet tools from the Control Center or Quick Settings, to try to prevent the device owner from locating the phone in the event of theft or theft.
With this in mind, the take you It collected five features that can be accessed by third parties even if the cell phone screen is locked. Below, you can check what these features are and how to disable them in the device settings to prevent access to the functions.
See five features that can be accessed on a cell phone even with the screen locked and how to disable them – Photo: Thássius Veloso / TechTudo
1. Ask the virtual assistant to message the contacts
It is possible to activate the Google Assistant or Siri even with the cell phone locked and ask the virtual assistants to perform some tasks on the device. Using voice commands, anyone who does not have a password for your device can access some features of the cell phone, and can ask the assistant to send messages or make calls to contacts saved in the agenda, create reminders or schedule meetings in the calendar without the consent of the owner of the device, for example. Since this setting can be considered a bit intrusive, it is best to disable it in the device settings.
To do this, on Android, go to the Google Assistant settings and tap the “Lock screen” tab. Then turn off the switch next to “Google Assistant answers on lock screen” to prevent the assistant from activating when your phone is locked. On iPhone (iOS), go to Settings and tap “Siri & Search”. On the next page, turn off the switch next to Allow When Locked.
Disable Google Assistant and Siri so they won’t work with the lock screen – Photo: Reproduction / Clara Fabro
2. Access Quick Settings or Control Center
Even with the screen locked, it is still possible to access the Android Quick Settings menu or the iPhone (iOS) Control Center, which allows a stranger who can access your cell phone to access some of the device’s features – it is possible to disable the Internet, device location and enable Airplane mode, For example, making it difficult for the device owner to check the latest coordinates of the device to find it.
These are not the only accessible functions – malicious people with direct access to the device will be able to interact with all the icons or widgets available in the quick settings or in the mobile control center. To prevent this from happening, you can edit the available icons or block access to the Control Center when the iPhone (iOS) screen is locked.
Swipe down on the quick settings menu to edit it – Image: Reproduction / Clara Fabro
On Android, to edit quick settings, swipe down on the screen and tap the pencil icon in the lower left corner of the screen. Then tap and hold on the desired icon and move it to the bottom of the screen.
On iPhone (iOS), go to Settings and tap Control Center. From there, tap the “-” icons next to the options to remove them from the folder, or disable access to Control Center when the screen is locked, by accessing the “Face ID and Code” tab in Settings. There, swipe up the screen until you find the Allow Entry When Locked tab and turn off the switch next to Control Center.
Remove widgets from iPhone Control Center (iOS) – Image: Reproduction / Clara Fabro
It is also possible to take pictures with the phone’s camera even if it is locked. However, it should be noted that access to the device’s gallery is not allowed, which keeps the photos safe. On Android, you can remove the camera widget from the quick settings to prevent this from happening and on mobile MotorolaYou can also disable gesture navigation to prevent them from accessing your camera without your consent.
To disable gestures, which are only available on Motorola cell phones, access the “Moto” app and tap on the “Moto Actions” tab. Then turn off the switch next to “Instant Camera”.
Disable camera actions to prevent access to the app with the lock screen – Photo: Playback / Clara Fabro
On iPhone (iOS), you can disable the Lock Screen Camera tool by going to Settings and selecting “Screen Time”. There, click on the “Content & Privacy” tab and click on “Allowed apps”. On the next page, turn off the switch next to “Camera”.
Disable camera widget on iPhone (iOS) lock screen – Photo: Playback / Clara Fabro
Just as the phone’s camera can be used when it is locked, it is also possible to activate and use the device’s flashlight even with the screen locked. If the app’s widget is available in the Android quick settings, you can access it from there, or you can even turn on the flashlight by shaking the phone twice if the device is from Motorola. In this case, it is possible to deactivate gesture activation by accessing the “Moto” application, clicking on the “Moto Actions” tab and turning the switch next to “Fast flashlight”.
Disable motorcycle actions to prevent flashlight from turning on when cell phone screen is off – Photo: clone / Clara Fabro
5. Know the temperature
Third parties with direct access to the iPhone (iOS) can also check some information from the new tools on Lock Screen, available with an update iOS 16. This means that if the device owner uses the to-do apps and customizes the device using the widget on the lock screen, other people who have access to the cell phone will be able to go back to the activities through the respective code. The same goes for weather apps or apps that fetch information about flights, for example. In this case, it is important to evaluate the type of data that will be available in the widget before adding it to the lock screen.
To customize it, just hold the Lock Screen for a few seconds and then tap Personalize. Then go to the area under the clock and select one of the available options. To add interactive icons for specific applications, swipe down the screen and click on the desired application to check the tools offered by the platform.
Adding Weather app widgets to the iPhone (iOS) lock screen – Image: Play / Clara Fabro
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