Android 17: smartphone unlock attempts will be severely limited

Attempts to unlock a smartphone will be severely restricted on Android 17 devices that support this feature. It is designed to safeguard users’ data if a thief tries multiple combinations using details such as their date of birth.

Android 17 is arriving with a range of security upgrades. Among them, Google is introducing a new measure that makes the lock screen harder to bypass following a theft. Google first unveiled this improvement in May, saying it had reduced “the number of attempts possible to guess the PIN or password, and extended the delays between unsuccessful attempts” on “compatible” models.

This week, Mishaal Rahman, a Google employee, outlined how the new system works on the social network X. With Android 16, users can make 10 unlock attempts in the first minute, followed by 20 within 6 minutes, 50 within 25 minutes, 110 over 24 hours and 1,800 attempts across 5 years. Android’s security update will significantly reduce these limits: the new policy permits only 6 attempts during the first minute, 7 in 6 minutes, 8 in 25 minutes, 12 in 24 hours and 19 in 5 years. “No further attempts are allowed after 20 unsuccessful attempts”, Mishaal Rahman also states.

Android 17 screen lock: a remaining security risk

The restriction is drastic, but it may be warranted. The Google employee explains that while PIN and password protection is already fairly strong in Android 16, it is weakened because most people do not choose random codes or passwords. Since numerous combinations can be tried, someone with personal information about the user, such as their date of birth, has a greater chance of unlocking the smartphone. Google has therefore sharply reduced the number of permitted attempts to address this issue.

Google has nevertheless ensured that people who repeatedly enter the same incorrect code or password are not penalised. “Users aren’t penalised for entering the same incorrect answer multiple times, and these rejections don’t increase the number of incorrect answers,” Mishaal Rahman explains. System warning messages displayed when a password is incorrect will also be more prominent.

For reference, Google has already rolled out Android 17 to compatible Google Pixel devices. The new operating system should now gradually reach other brands.