PIN Required on Restart

hallux

Q&A Team
Jul 7, 2013
12,322
7
38
Visit site
Well that may be how you see it but to be honest -- That is how it is going to be from now on. They want things to be more secure and believe the phone needs the PIN the first time. Honestly it is only on a restart and you shouldn't be doing that too often.

Mine sometimes requires the PIN even when it hasn't restarted. I see it as a way to reduce the "I forgot my unlock PIN" posts. I can't believe the number of people that forget those.

Doesn't it have something to do with the encryption? I could be wrong.

I believe you're right.
 

dty06

Well-known member
May 14, 2014
507
0
0
Visit site
The PIN or pattern is required because that's how the phone is able to access itself. It uses that PIN or pattern to decrypt the phone's storage. Without that security feature, it's impossible to start the phone. A fingerprint doesn't work to decrypt the phone. Once you've decrypted it, then you can use your finger print to unlock it.

Also, for clarification, the 6P was never on Lollipop, so there was never a time that the 6P allowed you to unlock the phone with a fingerprint after starting up. Other phones may have done this, but you'll find that Apple devices work the same way as the 6P, where you need the PIN before you can unlock the phone, and the reason is exactly the same.
 

Gangrel

Well-known member
Apr 30, 2011
76
0
0
Visit site
I think the better question is why are you restarting your phone four times a day. That seems fairly excessive and I can't see any reason that would be necessary.

.

If his phone is like mine, we aren't restarting it because we want to, it's because the phone crashes. I get a random reboot at least once a day.
 

atakin77

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2011
265
8
0
Visit site
I just switched to a 6p a couple of weeks ago after using a 5x for a few months. I did not have to enter a PIN upon restart for the 5x, and the setup was the same (software, fingerprint ID, etc.). I don't have any issues with this on the 6p - it is nice in fact - but I was curious as to why it is different.
 

mogelijk

Trusted Member
Jul 14, 2013
929
0
0
Visit site
If his phone is like mine, we aren't restarting it because we want to, it's because the phone crashes. I get a random reboot at least once a day.

Then I would suspect you have a rouge app causing issues. I typically end up restarting my 6P every so often as it never seems to reboot on its own; it has been extremely stable for me (other than the Awake issues caused by the GasBuddy app).
 

GSDer

Well-known member
Jan 30, 2011
8,471
15
0
Visit site
If I remember correctly you can just enter the wrong PIN several times and at some point it'll prompt you to use your Google password to unlock the device; then you can reset your PIN.
 

JZMatrix78

New member
Jan 1, 2015
2
0
0
Visit site
Most features have the ability to disable or adjust how they function. This one really needs to follow suite. After reading other posts on this issue I've gone through the hassle of unlocking, decrypting and rooting my phone only to find these prompt is still there. Nothing is more annoying than cruising down the highway using your phone as the GPS, enjoy an unexpected phone reboot and now have to fiddle with my phone at highway speeds (or almost worse, find a place to pull over) just to unlock the damned thing and get back to my course. Security 'features' like this should be an option (even if hidden in obscure menus), not the defacto, it's my phone, not my password vault or desktop.
 

Alex B6

Member
Sep 25, 2016
9
0
0
Visit site
I thought android is meant to be a alternative to apple, being able to customise a phone to the individual liking. Android 5 was but android 6 is starting to become like Apple. An individual should have the right to choose which method to unlock the phone on startup.
Steve Jobs is laughing in his grave. Android is starting to adopt apple methods and over time will be swallowed up by Apple. ....
 

B. Diddy

Senior Ambassador
Moderator
Mar 9, 2012
165,581
4,724
113
Visit site
Sorry, but I'm not sure how you arrive at that conclusion based on this security feature. Having to enter your PIN/password/pattern unlock is only after a reboot or cold start. This does not equate to Android becoming Apple, in my opinion.

For more information, see this help page under "Use your fingerprint": https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/6285273?hl=en
 
Last edited:

Trigati

Well-known member
Sep 26, 2011
650
0
0
Visit site
I thought android is meant to be a alternative to apple, being able to customise a phone to the individual liking. Android 5 was but android 6 is starting to become like Apple. An individual should have the right to choose which method to unlock the phone on startup.
Steve Jobs is laughing in his grave. Android is starting to adopt apple methods and over time will be swallowed up by Apple. ....

If you're talking about using a fingerprint to unlock the startup sequence after rebooting, that is a terrible idea. Not only is it less secure (because a fingerprint reader isn't foolproof) than a password, numeric code, or even pattern, you can be compelled to unlock your phone with a fingerprint. The same is not true about the other methods.
 

B. Diddy

Senior Ambassador
Moderator
Mar 9, 2012
165,581
4,724
113
Visit site
Is it because the phone is randomly rebooting? That should be the main focus, rather than trying to disable a security feature. Have you tried to narrow down what might be causing the random reboots?
 

GSDer

Well-known member
Jan 30, 2011
8,471
15
0
Visit site
Having to enter your PIN/password/pattern unlock is only after a reboot or cold start.
While I'll agree that may be how it's supposed to work I think it's clear from this thread that folks (myself included) are still experiencing random prompts to enter a PIN/pattern/password without the device undergoing a reboot or power cycle.

For me it doesn't happen as often as it used to but I still see it once a week or so.
 

B. Diddy

Senior Ambassador
Moderator
Mar 9, 2012
165,581
4,724
113
Visit site
That Google support link also mentioned a few other instances where the PIN/password/pattern might be required:

  • When your fingerprint isn't recognized after a few tries
  • After restarting (rebooting) your device
  • After switching to a different user on the device
  • After more than 48 hours have passed since you last unlocked using your backup method

That last one might be why it seems to pop up randomly.
 

GSDer

Well-known member
Jan 30, 2011
8,471
15
0
Visit site
[*]After more than 48 hours have passed since you last unlocked using your backup method

That last one might be why it seems to pop up randomly.
That could certainly be it since I exclusively use the fingerprint sensor unless otherwise required. Thanks!
 

PrakashChandra2

New member
Oct 20, 2016
1
0
0
Visit site
then what to do if i forget the unlock PIN

after wiping data , may i use the phone or it needs reinstallation of android os.
no matter what personal data will remains or not.
 

GSDer

Well-known member
Jan 30, 2011
8,471
15
0
Visit site
If you forget the PIN I thought after multiple attempts you'd be given the option to use your Google password to reset it. I could be mistaken.

At worst you could perform a Factory Reset and start from scratch.
 

B. Diddy

Senior Ambassador
Moderator
Mar 9, 2012
165,581
4,724
113
Visit site
then what to do if i forget the unlock PIN

after wiping data , may i use the phone or it needs reinstallation of android os.
no matter what personal data will remains or not.

Welcome to Android Central! If you forget the PIN, and it doesn't prompt you for your Google password after multiple unsuccessful unlock attempts, then you'd probably have to do a hardware button factory reset (which will wipe the data from your phone). Remember, though, that if your phone has Lollipop or above, you'll still have to enter your Google account and password after the reset, before you can proceed with the Setup Wizard -- this is because of Android's Factory Reset Protection feature. So I hope you didn't forget your Google password as well!
 

Coolestcateva

New member
Aug 13, 2017
1
0
0
Visit site
I'm actually having a real Secure Startup bug I think. When I first set up my phone, I turned on Secure Startup. After that, I would always have to enter my password twice when my phone turned on, once to actually turn it on, and again to unlock it. I then updated from Marshmallow to Nougat. Since then, I've realized I no longer want Secure Startup because I can never set updates to install overnight because once the updates are complete, my phone won't turn on until I enter my password, which means my alarms won't go off in the morning. It's inconvenient for me to find time to do these updates in the day, so I really want to disable Secure Startup so I can have them install automatically while I sleep. I went to my settings to try and turn it off, but I found that it already was off. I tried toggling the button multiple times and turning the phone on and off, but it still requires my password to turn on the phone. I even tried getting rid of my PIN altogether, but when I tried to turn it on I still had to enter my old PIN to get in. Anyone know of any solutions for this possible bug?
 

Trending Posts

Forum statistics

Threads
943,116
Messages
6,917,356
Members
3,158,828
Latest member
DragnDon