It won’t solve the above, but may be useful information for cases like this:
If you’re not aware already, you can “pin” an Android app to lock it to the screen, so nobody can easily switch to another app without using your login pin/code/pattern.
Firstly, to turn it on, you need to go to Settings>Security & Privacy>Other Security Settings and switch on “Pin App”. The location of this setting may be different depending on the manufacturer of your mobile phone.
Then, to lock a particular app to the screen, press the three-lines button (maybe a square on your telephone?) to open up the program switcher, then press the circular thumbnail of the icon at the top of the screen, to open up the menu you didn’t know existed, and select “pin this app”.
Without your password or login pattern, your telephone will only show the currently open app. Nobody can switch to other programs or mess with other stuff without unlocking the phone.
To unlock it afterwards, you then hold the < and the three lines buttons for a few seconds, then enter your normal login code/pin/pattern to unlock. It will tell you this when you lock it.
Well yeah, if they really wanted to “get you” for something, I’m sure they’ll find a way - but it’s a good bare minimum for casual snooping - avoiding the awkwardness of someone accidentally swiping onto your Jerboa app and then you having to explain how “writing silly comments about guillotining billionaires and throwing right-wing politicians into the sea isn’t actually a serious terrorist threat, officer”.
Neat trick! I’ve enabled it on my phone now, though it does say that it’s probably better to use a guest user for such situations… I don’t know how to do that either.
Still, this is additionally handy when I want to let my kid briefly use my phone.
This may all be moot though, if the state requires you to install a government app with invasive permissions just for this situation. Yet another reason to give up driving!
I don’t know about guest user stuff either actually - I might look into it at some point if I feel the need.
And yes, I’ve only ever used the “pin app” practically for letting young relatives play games and stuff on my phone, knowing they won’t be able to switch apps and send anyone a message - like the “Poo poo willy bum message” incident last year :)
Just we need, an excuse for a cop to take your unlocked phone away to his car to do whatever he likes with it.
It won’t solve the above, but may be useful information for cases like this:
If you’re not aware already, you can “pin” an Android app to lock it to the screen, so nobody can easily switch to another app without using your login pin/code/pattern.
Firstly, to turn it on, you need to go to Settings>Security & Privacy>Other Security Settings and switch on “Pin App”. The location of this setting may be different depending on the manufacturer of your mobile phone.
Then, to lock a particular app to the screen, press the three-lines button (maybe a square on your telephone?) to open up the program switcher, then press the circular thumbnail of the icon at the top of the screen, to open up the menu you didn’t know existed, and select “pin this app”.
Without your password or login pattern, your telephone will only show the currently open app. Nobody can switch to other programs or mess with other stuff without unlocking the phone.
To unlock it afterwards, you then hold the < and the three lines buttons for a few seconds, then enter your normal login code/pin/pattern to unlock. It will tell you this when you lock it.
Which works unless the attacker has a Cellebrite/Graykey device for cracking open phones, as the police sometimes do.
Well yeah, if they really wanted to “get you” for something, I’m sure they’ll find a way - but it’s a good bare minimum for casual snooping - avoiding the awkwardness of someone accidentally swiping onto your Jerboa app and then you having to explain how “writing silly comments about guillotining billionaires and throwing right-wing politicians into the sea isn’t actually a serious terrorist threat, officer”.
Neat trick! I’ve enabled it on my phone now, though it does say that it’s probably better to use a guest user for such situations… I don’t know how to do that either.
Still, this is additionally handy when I want to let my kid briefly use my phone.
This may all be moot though, if the state requires you to install a government app with invasive permissions just for this situation. Yet another reason to give up driving!
I don’t know about guest user stuff either actually - I might look into it at some point if I feel the need.
And yes, I’ve only ever used the “pin app” practically for letting young relatives play games and stuff on my phone, knowing they won’t be able to switch apps and send anyone a message - like the “Poo poo willy bum message” incident last year :)
That’s spot on definition of what happening in here