magnet bypasses lock screen !

[lurkio77]

Hi All !
I've just got one of those chinese smartphones (Swees MTK6582) which I think is great, however I think I have a problem - the supplied flip case which uses a magnet in the top left to turn the phone on and off, also logs you in which I think is a big security no-no
I can't find any settings for this "feature" but I am a bit of a noob
does anyone know how I can control this - is there maybe an app I can download ? will rooting help ?

Tx

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! There are usually separate settings for display timeout and time before the screen is locked. For example, you can set the display to turn off after 1 minute of inactivity, but not have the phone lock until another 30 seconds after the display has gone to sleep. So if you turned the phone on 20 seconds after the screen went to sleep, you wouldn't have to unlock it.

Look for the screen lock settings in Settings>Security. The actual menu might vary.

 

[lurkio77]

Thanks for your thoughts but that isn't the problem - If I take the phone out of the case everything works as you would expect, but If I use the case and flip the cover, the screen wakes without showing the PIN lock screen - the cases magnet somehow bypasses the lock !

 

[B. Diddy]

Do you have the power button set to automatically lock?

Posted via Android Central App

 

[lurkio77]

yes if i press the power button the screen goes off and the device is locked - however if I flip the cover it wakes bypassing the PIN

My concern is that if all it takes to unlock my phone is a magnet then it is not secure if I lose it or leave it unattended

 

[B. Diddy]

Hmm, must be a flaw in the firmware.

 

[lurkio77]

anything I can do about it ?

 

[B. Diddy]

Hard to say, since you have a phone direct from China. Support will probably be minimal to nonexistent.

Just to make sure--have you already checked for an "Automatically lock" setting in Settings>Security​? And it's set to "Immediately"?

 

[lurkio77]

yep - set to immediately - I guess it must be something the manufacturer overlooked, otherwise it is a good phone - Ill have to see if it bothers me enough to do anything about it
Do you think flashing with another ROM would fix it ? I'm reluctant to try as it is a bit beyond my skill set, tho I have done similar things with Android TV boxes

 

[B. Diddy]

I'm not skilled when it comes to rooting and ROMing. You'd have to find a rooting guide and ROMs for your exact phone, which might be difficult, since it's not common.

 

[lurkio77]

oh well thanks for you help anyway

 

[metamage]

oh well thanks for you help anyway

Well, I've ALWAYS had this problem with ALL my SAMSUNG devices using magnetic closure/reopen cases. It couldn't be more standard & typical, short of me using a Pixel instead of a Galaxy. Now I'm in a situation where I'm traveling & need to have it open to my lock screen & not bypass that to my home screen.

I don't know the answer, but I'd like to know, and the answer SHOULD be able to be very short & sweet, maybe setting me straight on something, but short & sweet nonetheless. And it's not a borderline case or Chinese manufacturer or whatever, but it happens with my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G.

-Frustrated

 

[belodion]

Well, I've ALWAYS had this problem with ALL my SAMSUNG devices using magnetic closure/reopen cases. It couldn't be more standard & typical, short of me using a Pixel instead of a Galaxy. Now I'm in a situation where I'm traveling & need to have it open to my lock screen & not bypass that to my home screen.

I don't know the answer, but I'd like to know, and the answer SHOULD be able to be very short & sweet, maybe setting me straight on something, but short & sweet nonetheless. And it's not a borderline case or Chinese manufacturer or whatever, but it happens with my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G.

-Frustrated

If you don’t have a Smart Cover setting that could be turned off - and I don’t think that Samsungs do - remove the magnets and devise some other sort of closure. That’s short, but not very sweet I’m afraid.

I guess you could turn off all sensors via Developer Options, but I’m not sure that you’d want to.