The desktop is locked android. Screen lock on Android: how to set it up? We protect our personal information from strangers: with a graphic key, PIN code and password. Get rid of intrusive notifications

In four years, Android has transformed from a small but ambitious project into perhaps the most complex and feature-packed mobile OS of our time. Android supports a huge number of technologies and functions, many of which are hidden from the user or hidden in places you wouldn't even think to look at. This article is a collection of tips and tricks that can be applied to any Android device without the need to root it.

01. DISABLE THE AUTOMATIC CREATION OF ICONS ON THE DESKTOP

I think I'm not the only one who is annoyed by the way the market behaves when installing an application. For some reason, he thinks that for any more or less software or the next game I definitely need an icon on the desktop, and he successfully creates it. And I have to delete it. And then another one. And so every time.

Fortunately, this behavior is easy to disable - just open the settings Google Play(in the left panel) and uncheck the “Add icons” checkbox. There you can also disable the forced password request every 30 minutes when purchasing applications, as well as the hated auto-update of applications.

02. DISABLE GOOGLE SEARCH AND OTHER USELESS SOFTWARE

The standard firmware of Android smartphones includes a huge amount of useless software, ranging from a bunch Google applications(do you know that Google requires manufacturing companies to include almost all the software it develops in the firmware of their devices?) and ending with all sorts of junk from the smartphone manufacturer. All of this (or at least most) can be disabled.

Go to “Settings → Applications → All”, tap on the desired software and click “Disable” (of course, you will be warned how “dangerous” this is). By the way, when disconnecting Google search Google Now will also disappear, as well as the search bar from the desktop (after a reboot), instead of which there will be an empty area.

03. RESET TO SAFE MODE

Few people know, but Android, like many other operating systems, has a so-called Safe mode. This is a mode in which the operating system boots with disabled third party applications. Not very skillfully written malware (one that is not registered in system partition) in this case it falls off, like any software that interferes with the normal operation of the system. Safe mode can be used to bypass screen blockers, applications that cause the smartphone to freeze, or, alternatively, to identify who is actually eating up the battery - the next firmware or software update.

The mode is turned on in a rather simple, but not at all obvious way: by holding down the power button and then holding your finger on the “Turn off power” item. After rebooting, the culprit of the problem can be removed through “Settings → Applications”.

04. GET RID OF INSTRUCTIVE NOTIFICATIONS

“The construction of the castle is finished!” - how did you get these notifications? Everyone who is not too lazy is trying to notify me about all possible and impossible events: “Vasya Dzhubga replied to you on Twitter,” “You have 100,500 new messages,” “You won surgery to enlarge your right leg.” You swipe away one notification, and three new ones appear in its place.

How to get rid of all this slag: hold your finger on the notification for a long time and uncheck the “Stop” button. This is the recipe for KitKat. In Lollipop, everything is a little different, but the essence is the same: hold down, then the i button, in the window that opens, put a checkmark on “Block”. There you can also force the notification to be a priority so that it is always at the very top.

05. DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE SERVICE MENU

Another not at all obvious function is the service menu. It can be opened by dialing *#*#4636#*#*. Basically there are different Technical information such as IMEI number, signal strength, current location or network type. But there is also a very useful function for some situations to force the smartphone to switch to desired type networks (2G, 3G, LTE).

In conditions of poor 3G/LTE signal levels, the device tends to reset to 2G in order to save battery power and ensure subscriber availability. This behavior can be disabled. Open the service menu and in the “Set up preferred network type” item, select WCDMA only or LTE only. In the same way, you can switch your smartphone to 2G - GSM only. It will help if you need to save battery power and the Internet is rarely used. By the way, you can also disable the radio module there altogether (until the next reboot, of course).

Smartphones based on Chinese MTK chips have their own and much more sophisticated service menu. His number is *#*#3646633#*#*. There is various system information and a huge number of tests, among which you can find several useful settings, such as adjusting the call volume or, for example, changing GPS/AGPS settings. The menu itself is terribly illogical and contains so much varied information that I don’t even dare to describe it, but simply send the reader to three letters - XDA.

06. USE A STANDARD BROWSER

I don't know why users don't like the built-in one so much Android browser. In my opinion, he is wonderful. Lightweight, fast, based on the Chromium engine, can synchronize with Google account(that is, it immediately includes all bookmarks and passwords from Chrome), but most importantly, it has a very convenient and almost ingenious navigation method. This is the so-called radial menu, which can be activated in the settings (only in Android 4.0–4.4).

07. MANAGE YOUR CONTACTS FROM YOUR COMPUTER

Google has web services not only for remotely installing software, blocking and searching for a smartphone, but also for managing contacts. All people's contacts ever saved and synchronized when connecting a new smartphone can always be found on the page google.com/contacts. They can be viewed, edited, added and deleted. Moreover, oddly enough, it is essentially part of Gmail.

08. MONITOR YOUR PROCESSOR LOAD

Android has a built-in function to show the current CPU load and active this moment processes on top of the screen. In theory, it is intended for application and firmware developers and is hidden from ordinary users, but no one is stopping us from activating it. But first you will have to reach the “For Developers” settings section, which by default does not exist at all.

Go to settings, then “About phone”, find the line “Build number” and tap on it seven times in a row. The message “You have become a developer!” should appear on the screen. This means that the “For Developers” item is now open, and we go to it. We rewind almost to the very bottom of the screen and in the “Monitoring” section we find the “Show CPU load” switch.

Turn it on and see a list in the upper right part of the screen. The first line is the so-called loadavg, which shows the number of processes that had to run or wait their turn to run in the last minute, five and ten minutes. To put it very roughly: if these values, divided by the number of processor cores, are above one, this means 100% processor load in the last minute, five or ten minutes, respectively. Below is a list of the most power-hungry processes (essentially, an analogue of the top command from Linux).

09. USE ADB TO BACKUP SOFTWARE ON YOUR COMPUTER

We have already written more than once about a wonderful tool called ADB, which can significantly simplify managing a device from a computer for a person who is familiar with the console (here we are mainly talking about Linux, of course). In addition to the ability to install software, transfer files to a smartphone, view logs and other useful things, ADB has recently made it possible to backup all smartphone settings and applications.

To use this functionality, install universal ADB driver(goo.gl/AzZrjR), then download ADB itself (goo.gl/3P7klM), install the driver, then expand the archive with ADB, connect the smartphone to the computer with a USB cable, launch command line and execute the command

A message will appear on the smartphone screen asking you to specify the encryption password for the backup - you can safely press “Next”. The application backup process will begin, which will affect both the APK packages themselves (the -apk flag in the command) and their settings. All applications from the memory card will also be included in the backup. You can restore a backup using the following command:

$ adb restore backup.ab

$ adb restore backup . ab

10. DISABLE BACKGROUND DATA TRANSFER IN APPLICATIONS

Working in the background, applications can actively use the Internet for a variety of purposes, from updating their content to leaking information about your location. In addition, such activity in any case leads to increased battery consumption.

Android has the ability to selectively restrict applications from transferring data in the background, but it is located in a place where most users would hardly ever look. To prevent any application from using the Internet in the background, you need to go to settings, then “Data transfer”, scroll down the screen to the list of applications actively using the network (for some it will be a surprise that it is there at all) and tap on the desired software. At the bottom there will be an option “Limit background mode" It is worth keeping in mind that the option will disable data transfer only via mobile network, so by Wi-Fi data will continue to flow.

11. USE THE SEARCH BAR

Often, smartphone owners Android based neglect the search bar at the top of the main screen. This is really logical, given the ability to search by typing a query into address bar any mobile browser.

Meanwhile, the desktop search bar does much more than just redirect your request to google.com. It allows you to search contacts, applications, calendar events, bookmarks and web browser history in automatic mode. With normal use of a smartphone, it may not be so useful, but when connected external keyboard it is an indispensable tool. Just click and enter the name of the application, contact or anything else, and it immediately appears on the screen.

12. USE SMART LOCK

Smart Lock is one of those features that you don’t think about, but once you try it, you can’t live without it. This is one of the most notable new features of Android Lollipop and one of the most useful functions, added to Android recently. The idea of Smart Lock is extremely simple - it disables the PIN code or other lock screen protection if there is a specific Bluetooth device or map location nearby.

By default, Smart Lock is “sort of” disabled. That is, it does not light up anywhere, but after pairing with a new Bluetooth device (of any type), it will definitely offer to add it to its white list. After this you will forget about her again. But only until you enable lock screen protection in the “Security” section of the settings. Now it will work as it should.

Sami Smart settings Lock are in the same section, and in addition to adding new Bluetooth devices, there you can specify “safe places”, and immediately with a list of options based on Google Now “observations”. By the way, if you disable it, as described in the first tip, then this functionality will also be lost.

13. SAVE ENERGY RIGHT

Another notable innovation from Lollipop is its power saving mode. It migrated to standard Android from the firmware of smartphone manufacturers, who previously sold it independently. Now the function is available in pure Android - you use your smartphone to the fullest, and when the battery charge reaches 15%, the system suggests turning on the power saving mode, which turns off background data transfer, reduces the brightness to a minimum, turns off some sensors and reduces the screen rendering FPS to a couple of dozen frames per hour. give me a sec. For clarity, the status bar and on-screen buttons at the bottom of the screen turn red - so you don’t forget.

To save battery life on a smartphone with an AMOLED screen, you can set black wallpapers and use apps with black backgrounds.

The energy saving mode is customizable. Go to “Settings → Battery → menu → Power saving mode.” Here you can specify a condition automatic switching on mode (though the choice is meager: 5%, 15% or never) and, most importantly, turn on the mode right now. Very convenient if you have a long trip ahead without the possibility of recharging.

14. MONITOR TRAFFIC

Most likely, smartphone manufacturers, as usual, will shovel the standard Android interface 5.0 and everything will change (hello Samsung - the biggest fan of breaking interfaces), but in the standard Lollipop curtain, or rather, in the “second curtain” with
flasks quick settings There is one highlight. The data transfer button in the center does not switch data transfer at all, but expands into an interface that allows you not only to view the current traffic consumption, but also to disable data transfer using the switch on top.

15. SHARE NOT YOUR PHONE, BUT THE APPLICATION

Especially for those who like to give their phone to other people, Lollipop has a Screen pinning feature that allows you to lock your smartphone on one application without the ability to close it or switch to another. Like many other useful features, it is completely invisible and hidden quite deep in the settings. To activate, go to “Settings → Security”, scroll almost to the very end and turn on the “Block in application” option.

Now, if you click the View running applications (Browse) button, an pushbutton will appear at the bottom of the current application's thumbnail. Once you tap the icon, the screen will be locked on the selected app and you will need to hold the Back and Overview buttons simultaneously to go back. In this case, you will have to enter a PIN code if it is set for the lock screen.

XX. USE ACITIVITY LAUNCHER

Any graphic Android application includes one or more so-called “activities”. Each of them is an application window (screen), for example main screen or a settings screen, maybe even a file selection window. By default, you can open directly (from the desktop) only those activities that the application developer marks as main; the rest are accessible only through the application itself and only if the developer himself allows this.

However, having the right tool at hand, you can reach any other activity of any application and even create a shortcut for it on the desktop. Activity Launcher does just that. Just install the application, select “All actions” in the menu at the top and find the software you need. All of her activities will appear on the screen, and any of them can be opened with a simple tap or placed on the desktop by holding your finger for a long time.

An example of useful “internal” activities is the Chrome bookmarks window (Chrome →Bookmark), access to the hidden AppOps mechanism in Android< 4.4.2 (Настройки → AppOps), запуск поиска в TuneIn Radio (tunein.ui.activities.TuneInSearchActivity). Очень много активностей имеет в себе ES Проводник, включая редактор, музыкальный плеер, просмотрщик изображений и многое другое. Любую из них можно запустить напрямую с рабочего стола. Таким же образом можно открыть любой раздел настроек и получить доступ к некоторым функциям ОС, достучаться до которых проблематично. Это абсолютно легальная функцио нальность, и она не требует root.

Android has big set hotkeys for connected keyboards. You can use Arrow, Tab, and Enter to navigate the desktop and various menus. In addition, the following key combinations are available:

Esc - “Back” button;
Win + Esc - Home button;
Ctrl + Esc - “Menu” button;
Alt + Tab - switch between applications;
Ctrl + Space - switch layout;
Ctrl + P - open settings;
Ctrl + M - control installed applications;
Ctrl + W - change wallpaper;
Win + E - write a letter;
Win + P - music player;
Win + A - calculator;
Win + S - write SMS;
Win + L - calendar;
Win + C - contacts;
Win + B - browser;
Win + M - google maps;
Win + Space - search;
To find out your MAC and IP address, go to “Settings → Wi-Fi → menu → Advanced
new functions.” MAC and IP will be at the very bottom.

Lollipop has a built-in Flappy Bird style game. Go to “Settings → About phone”,
Tap on the “Android Version” item several times, then hold your finger on the “Lollipop” that appears. Let's play.

Google Now supports a large number of Russian-language voice commands. All of them can be divided into two groups: voice search and the voice commands themselves. Voice search allows you to perform an intelligent search on Google, when the system displays a specific answer on the screen instead of a list of links, and voice commands allow you to perform certain actions, for example, send an SMS or set an alarm. The list of commands is shown in the image " Voice commands Google Now." Voice search includes more than a dozen various types questions:
Weather. What will the weather be like tomorrow morning?
Addresses. Where is the nearest pharmacy?
Flight information. When does Aeroflot flight number 2336 depart?
Time. What time is it in London?
Events. When is sunset today?
Computing. What is the square root of 2209?
Translation. How do you say "cucumber" in Spanish?
Sport. When does Spartak play?
Finance. What is the S&P 500 index today?
Data. What is the height of the tallest building in the world?
Exchange Rates. Convert 2600 rupees to US dollars.
Images. Show photos of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Interestingly, Google Now understands a large number of much less obvious questions in English. As an example we can give:
Should I wear a jacket today?
How much tip for 420 rubles?
Where is my parcel?

This, of course, is not all that could be talked about, but it will not be possible to lengthen the article, and many of the other possibilities are already known. Don't forget about these tricks, and your smartphone will become
a little more convenient.

How to change the wallpaper on your lock screen

The method of replacing the wallpaper on the gadget's display depends on the version of Android and the device manufacturer, but in general the procedure is usually as follows:

The lock screen is installed on the gadget as a regular utility from Google Play:

Select an application from the store that suits you and install it.
After the icon appears on the desktop, tap on it and check the box that allows you to use the program as a blocker.

In most cases, these utilities not only allow you to set new wallpaper on your lock screen, but also add a lot of other useful features to it. Therefore, below we will describe the functionality of the most popular lock screens on Android.

Simple, beautiful and convenient, Echo focuses the user's attention on the notifications they receive. The application spends some time analyzing which of them are most interesting to the owner of the gadget, so that later, when sorting, it displays them first in the list. The program can convert any of the notifications into the so-called. reminders to inform the user about them at a set time.

Other features of Echo Notification Lockscreen:

Modern minimalistic design, fast and smooth operation on all devices;
You can view important messages without unlocking the screen;
Possibility of installing a graphic key.

It should be noted that installing the utility is extremely simple and does not take much time, since the process does not require any complex settings. How to change the standard background to Echo or the applications discussed below has already been described above.

The utility is developed by Microsoft. Although this is unusual for gadgets with Android, on the other hand it immediately speaks of high quality programs. It is also easy to install, but at the same time it already offers the widest functionality:

The ability to launch the most popular utilities with one click.
To favorites phone numbers You can make a call directly from the lock screen with just one swipe.
By default, quick access to activate Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, the Flashlight utility, etc. is available.
Display of current weather on the display.
Ability to view upcoming events from the calendar.
Installing a pattern or PIN code on the screen.

The installed screen, depending on the time of day and current position, can change the background image and even show necessary programs in the additional bottom panel.

Hello.

I think that most of us are mobile phone(or tablet) has files and information that you don’t want to show ☺. There are a lot of ways to protect it, but one of the simplest and most reliable is to put a lock on the screen so that no one but you can turn on the phone (so that an Android phone can easily do this) .

Such protection, of course, will not protect you from professional hackers, but for most users this is not necessary. If you accidentally, say, forget your phone at work, then no one will be able to see your correspondence and photos. Which is basically what you need!

In this article, I will look at several ways to set up a screen lock on Android using various methods: pattern, PIN code, password and special utilities.

Note: I recommend choosing a password that you will not forget. No matter how funny it may be, more than once I have encountered such a situation that people forgot their passwords 1-2 minutes after they set them. Keep in mind that if you forget the password to unlock the screen, then in some cases it will be enough to enter the data from your Google account, and in some cases you will need to reset the phone to factory settings (and maybe even reflash it).

Graphic key

By default, the Android screen usually unlocks after simply swiping your finger across the screen (which will only protect you if the phone accidentally turns on, for example, in your pocket). Therefore, it is recommended to replace this method with a safer one...

The easiest way to protect yourself is to use a pattern key: the point is that you need to draw a small snake consisting of 4-9 dots with your finger. If you know this “snake”, then this is done easily and quickly. However, protection allows you to quite seriously protect your device from the curiosity of prying eyes.

For example: even a snake with 4 points has 1624 combinations, and with 9 - 140704. That is. choosing a combination using the selection method (when you don’t even know how many points) is very, very difficult.

To install this protection, you must:

Now, when you want to turn on the phone and look at the menu, first of all, you will need to unlock the screen by entering the pattern. Until you enter it, the phone will be blocked from prying eyes...

A PIN code is a type of password consisting of 4 digits. Many users trust numbers more than graphic snakes drawn on the screen. In addition, the PIN code is used everywhere, for example, on bank cards, on SIM cards, etc.

To set a PIN:

Note: Many people doubt the security of the PIN code, allegedly because it can be easily guessed. I can argue with them: in total, you need to check 10,000 combinations. You need to go through them manually, and after several incorrect attempts to enter the PIN code, Android will block password entry for 30 seconds. Those. theoretically, a curious person will have to sit on your phone for more than one day! If your phone is left unattended for such a long period of time, I think more than one password will not help you...

Password

This is one of the most reliable lock screen protections. The password length can be from 4 to 17 characters, taking into account the fact that the characters can be both Latin and Cyrillic (large and small), plus numbers and special characters - all kinds of multi-million dollar combinations are obtained. Even with the help of special software, finding a password is extremely difficult.

To set a password, you must also open the settings in the following path: "Security/Screen Lock/Password" . Next, enter the required password twice and select the option to show notifications. Setting the password is shown in the screenshot below.

Special Applications

Soft Lock Screen

Soft Lock Screen - screenshots of the application (from the developers)

The application allows you to easily and quickly turn on your smartphone screen lock, customize the wallpaper, select a screensaver, calendar, weather, etc. The application really surprises you with its bright colors and ease of use! If desired, the wallpaper on the screensaver will change automatically, new ones every day, delighting and surprising you.

Note: On some phones it is not possible (or problematic) to change the screensaver. This application allows you to fix this.

Peculiarities:

beautiful and user-friendly interface with HD wallpapers (by the way, all wallpapers have been tested by the program developers, so no junk will be shown!);
efficiency: part of the most required applications the developers have brought it to the lock screen (for example, you can quickly turn on the flashlight, notebook etc.);
security: you can set a password or pattern key to protect your smartphone (moreover, the key may contain photographs of people close to you, see photo above).

LOCKit

LOCKit- this program is designed specifically to protect personal data. In addition to directly locking the screen, it is possible to lock applications, photos, and contacts.

In addition to this, there is a phone anti-theft feature that helps you find your phone and catch the thief. By the way, such a thing as “Burglar Selfie” helps with this - a photo is automatically taken of the person who entered the wrong PIN code or drew a pattern.

Well, in addition, you can install HD wallpapers (beautiful and pleasing to the eye ☺).

In principle, there are a lot of such applications, each with its own pros/cons. I think it’s pointless to consider dozens (hundreds) of these applications within the framework of this article. Anyone who goes to the play market can try it experimentally and find an application to their liking.

What to do if you forgot your key/password?

I am not an expert in this, and I will give only the basic methods. By the way, I recommend looking for an unlocking option specifically for your phone model (perhaps there is an option much simpler than the universal ones offered by many authors).

1) Google account password

In the most harmless case, after entering the pattern key incorrectly (usually you need to enter 5 times), you should see a window asking you to enter data from your Google account.

Enter your data, and if the phone was able to connect to the network (for example, connected via Wi-Fi), then you can reset the password.

Note: such a window with the ability to recover a password does not always appear and not on all devices. Moreover, if the password was set using special applications.

2) HARD-Reset

This is a special reboot of the device, which will restore the system to factory settings. This deletes all user data: contacts, SMS, passwords, applications, etc. All this data cannot be restored, so I do not recommend rushing to this procedure.

Hard Reset is usually used as a last resort when errors, failures, or problems with entering the device occur when other methods do not work.

To help!

How to reset Android settings to factory settings (i.e. delete all data from your phone, tablet) -

3) Flashing the phone

The topic is quite specific; if you have never done this before, I recommend contacting a service center.

By the way, in some cases it is possible to enter the phone settings menu and disable the lock. To do this, wait for some notification to appear, for example, that the battery is low and needs to be charged.

Despite this seemingly simple blocking, your phone is protected from most curious people (and you from unnecessary conversations, whispering behind your back, and gossip).

That, in fact, is all I wanted to say in this article.

Despite the reputation operating system With a wealth of options to choose from, Android has always had a couple of rough edges where the operating system was completely devoid of customization options. If your device did not have root access or didn't work on custom ROMs, settings limitations included a lock screen for which you could only choose a wallpaper and customize the display of notifications.

Luckily, the rather sudden debut of Android O Developer Preview takes lock screens to previously unknown levels of personalization and convenience, giving us the long-overdue ability to choose our own lock screen shortcuts.

Customizable lock screen shortcuts rely on the System UI Tuner, which was actually introduced in Android Marshmallow. In case you're not familiar with these features, System UI Tuner is a hidden menu that you can unlock just like Developer Mode. To unlock Developer Mode, go to your device info and tap on "Build Number" until you get notifications, you can now unlock System UI Tuner by pulling down the notification bar from any screen, tapping and holding on the gear icon on the top right side of the screen approx. for five seconds, or until you feel a short vibration. You will see a notification that System UI Tuner is unlocked.

IN previous versions Android only had standard lock screen shortcuts available, typically camera on the right and call on the left side of the display. Android O allows you to place a fairly wide range of different shortcuts on your lock screen. Depending on the apps you have installed on your device, tapping on "lock screen" in System UI Tuner and then selecting the left or right side of the display will show you a list of various functions, for which you can send a shortcut to the lock screen. For example, you'll probably see "selfie", which is a shortcut for taking photos using front camera your device. Additionally, you will see options. shortcuts to unlock the device.

While this may seem like a relatively small change, there are countless hypothetical situations in which custom lock screen shortcuts could be useful: Maybe you want to have your Snapchat camera at the ready for unexpected moments. Or perhaps you'll use the shortcut to add a new contact, scan QR codes, or live stream on YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram. The possibilities are almost endless.

Articles and Lifehacks

Since most Android devices are controlled by clicking on application icons and widgets on touch screen, then you need to use the lock screen for Android.

Otherwise, you can accidentally launch applications, make a call, send a message, or simply mess up your desktop settings.

What does the lock screen look like?

The lock screen (lockscreen) blocks access to all desktops and applications. Each version of the operating system has its own lockscreen. Some manufacturers include a proprietary lock screen in their graphical shell.
The higher the version of the operating system, the more sophisticated it becomes lock screen android smartphone. In OS versions from 4.0 and higher, you can get to the calls and messages menu directly from the lock screen.
But what if you want a lockscreen from an HTC device, but you have a Samsung model?
It is also common that there is a desire to make the lockscreen more thoughtful and useful, to place on it a music player widget, a weather widget, or an access widget to a particular application.
Irritation from having to unlock the phone to switch tracks is also common. All this can be solved by installing custom lockers that are completely customizable.

Custom lock screens

Let's list the most common ones: WidgetLocker, FlyScreen, GO Locker, GOTO lockscreen and many others.

Applications are easy to install and highly customizable. If you want your lock screen to be like on a particular smartphone model, you need to additionally install themes.
For example, install Lockscreen from 4.2 on a smartphone with Android version 2.3. Topics can be found on specialized forums.
By setting up applications, you can add any widgets to the lockscreen - weather, additional clock, alarm clock, flashlight, camera.
Once the necessary widgets are displayed on the lock screen, it will be possible to set permissions for them: will they simply display information, or will an application open when clicked on them.

Thus, we have looked at why a lock screen is needed and how to make it original and set up quick access to the necessary applications.