If you enter the incorrect PIN 13 times, your Galaxy phone will be permanently locked.
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New Galaxy phones will necessitate a factory reset following 13 unsuccessful unlock attempts.
Samsung is enhancing the security of the lock screen on Galaxy devices launching with Android 17-based One UI 9. If the incorrect PIN, pattern, or password is entered 13 times, the phone will no longer accept any attempts. The only recourse will be a full factory reset to regain access.
This adjustment aims to prevent brute-force attacks, where an individual systematically guesses passwords until one succeeds. It represents a significant shift from earlier One UI iterations, which primarily employed temporary waiting times instead of an enforced final lockout.
How is One UI 9.0 altering failed unlock attempts?
In earlier One UI versions, entering the wrong PIN merely resulted in longer waiting times. After the timer expired, users were allowed to attempt again without a definitive limit. Samsung did provide an optional feature that wiped the phone after 15 failed tries, but this needed to be activated manually.
One UI 9.0 enforces a mandatory final lockout. After five incorrect attempts, the device restricts further entries for one minute. The waiting period escalates with each additional failure, reaching 90 minutes after nine tries, four hours after ten, 12 hours after eleven, and 24 hours after twelve. A wrong entry on the thirteenth attempt will permanently lock the phone, requiring a factory reset that deletes all locally stored data.
| Number of Failed Attempts | Lockout Duration |
|--------------------------|------------------|
| 5 attempts | 1 minute |
| 6 attempts | 5 minutes |
| 7 attempts | 15 minutes |
| 8 attempts | 30 minutes |
| 9 attempts | 90 minutes |
| 10 attempts | 4 hours |
| 11 attempts | 12 hours |
| 12 attempts | 24 hours |
| 13 attempts | Permanent lockout, requires factory reset |
Samsung will provide warnings and specify the number of attempts remaining. Additionally, Smart Counting will be implemented, so entering the same incorrect PIN consecutively only counts as one failure, aiming to minimize accidental lockouts caused by repeated pocket taps or children pressing the same numbers.
Is Samsung excessively strict with the lockout rule?
There are concerns that children might repeatedly input random numbers and lock the phone. However, in reality, reaching the final attempt would take over 42 hours since every timeout must be completed before another password can be entered. The owner will also receive multiple warnings well before reaching that threshold. Nevertheless, the implications remain significant for anyone who genuinely forgets a password.
Using fingerprint and face unlock does not mitigate this risk. Android still requires the backup credential at least once every 72 hours, and Samsung lacks the capability for remote recovery. Thus, regular backups will become increasingly crucial for devices running One UI 9.
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If you enter the incorrect PIN 13 times, your Galaxy phone will be permanently locked.
Galaxy devices that come with One UI 9.0 will permanently lock after 13 unsuccessful PIN entries, making a factory reset the only method to regain access.