What the Tech? How to temporarily disable Face ID on iPhone and Android – ABC 6 News

What the Tech? How to temporarily disable Face ID on iPhone and Android

(ABC 6 News) — Most of us unlock our phones dozens of times a day. A quick glance. A tap of a fingerprint. Done.

It is fast, convenient, and usually perfectly safe. But there is an important difference between unlocking your phone with biometrics and unlocking it with a passcode.

In many court cases, biometric unlocking has been treated differently than a passcode. Afingerprint or Face ID may be consideredphysical evidence.

A passcode may be treated astestimony because it comes from your memory. That distinction can matter in certain legalsituations.

Regardless of the legal angle, there are also practical reasons to understand how your phone’ssecurity works.What many people do not realize is that you can temporarily disable biometric unlocking andrequire a passcode instead.

It only takes a couple of seconds.

On an iPhone, press and hold the side button and either volume button at the same time. Keep holding until the power screen appears. Then tap Cancel. You do not have to power off the phone. Once that screen appears, Face ID or Touch ID isdisabled. The next time the phone unlocks, it will require your passcode.

On most Android phones, including Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices, press and hold the power button. You will see an option called Lockdown. Tap it. When Lockdown is enabled, fingerprint and face unlock are disabled. The phone will require your PIN, pattern, or password to unlock.

This may be different for different Android phones. Some require both volume and power buttons to be pressed. Some Android versions will turn on lockdown by holding down just the power button.

This feature is not about avoiding law enforcement or doing anything wrong. It is about understanding and controlling how your phone unlocks.

You might choose to use this in a crowded environment. At a concert. At a game. Anytime you are around people you do not know well. If someone were to…

Source