Samsung Galaxy Smartphones Get One of the Best Security Features of the IPhone.
Biometric authentication (i.e., facial or fingerprint scanning) is great. It’s convenient because facial scanning is often faster than entering a code, and it’s secure because it’s impossible to “guess” a fingerprint. In most cases, the transition from PIN codes to biometric authentication by default has been beneficial for everyone. However, it’s not perfect. Biometric authentication is secure if someone steals your phone, but if you’re still nearby when someone else accesses your phone, the situation becomes more complicated. All an attacker has to do is hold your phone up to your face, and they’ll gain access.
The “Lockdown Mode” feature in One UI is not a perfect solution.
There’s a workaround for Galaxy devices: Lockdown Mode. This option disables biometric authentication until you enter a PIN, preventing forced scanning, and you might think this solves the security issue. But again, it’s not a perfect solution. Lockdown Mode is an option in your Galaxy device’s power menu, meaning it requires several steps to activate: long-press the power button, find the Lockdown Mode icon, and then tap it. This works well when you’re anticipating a security-sensitive situation, like going through airport customs, but when you’re not expecting anything and only have a few seconds to secure your phone, it’s less than ideal.
The iPhone has a solution: the primary Lockdown mode feature is built into the power menu itself. If you open the iPhone’s power menu, you’ll immediately disable biometric authentication. The next time you try to unlock your iPhone, you won’t be able to scan your face. Instead, you’ll see a PIN keypad with the message, “Your passcode is required to turn on Face ID.” It’s a small difference, but it has real security implications.
Biometric authentication will soon be blocked in the One UI control menu.
As Android Authority reports , Samsung is rolling out a similar feature to Galaxy devices. In the second beta of One UI 9, Samsung changed how the power menu works. Previously, when opening the power menu, you had the option to return to the last opened app. You could choose a lock mode, but this is, of course, optional. However, in this beta, the power menu works the same as in iOS: after entering it, you’ll need to re-enter your PIN to unlock your phone. The last used app will still open, but now only after entering your PIN.
As mentioned, this feature debuted in the second beta of One UI 9. Therefore, it is still in testing, and there is no guarantee it will be included in the official version of One UI 9. If you want to try it (and any other One UI 9 features) right now, you need to register your Galaxy device for the One UI beta program . Please note that when installing the beta, you may encounter unexpected errors or crashes that may result in data loss. Be sure to back up your device and its data before registering for the beta program.