How to Use Extend Unlock (Smart Lock) on Android to Keep Your Device Unlocked in Trusted Places

Securing your Android smartphone with a biometric fingerprint or strong PIN is essential when commuting or in public. However, having to unlock your phone dozens of times while relaxing on your couch or sitting at your private home office desk can feel tedious. Android includes a native feature called Extend Unlock (formerly known as Smart Lock) that intelligently keeps your smartphone unlocked whenever it resides in a trusted location or remains connected to your personal smartwatch or car audio.

Understanding Extend Unlock vs Standard Screen Lock

Extend Unlock does not remove your PIN or fingerprint security; it temporarily bypasses lock screen prompts based on safe environmental conditions:

• First Unlock Security: You must always unlock your device manually once after rebooting or after four hours of continuous inactivity.
• Trusted Places: Uses GPS geofencing to keep your phone unlocked within a custom radius of your home, apartment, or private office.
• Trusted Devices: Keeps your phone unlocked as long as an authenticated Bluetooth device—such as a smartwatch, fitness tracker, or car stereo—remains actively connected.
• On-Body Detection: Keeps your phone unlocked while it senses you are carrying it in your hand or pocket after an initial unlock.

How to Access and Configure Extend Unlock on Android

Setting up your trusted parameters takes just a couple of minutes in Security settings:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android smartphone.
2. Scroll down and tap on Security & privacy (or Lock screen on Samsung Galaxy devices).
3. Tap on More security settings (or Extend Unlock / Smart Lock).
4. Select Extend Unlock (or Smart Lock).
5. Confirm your screen lock PIN, password, or biometric pattern to enter the secure configuration menu.
6. You will see three available trust conditions:
   • On-body detection: Toggle on if you want the phone to stay unlocked while moving, locking only when set down on a surface.
   • Trusted places: Tap to add your home address or pinpoint a custom location on Google Maps where security is relaxed.
   • Trusted devices: Tap + Add trusted device and select your Bluetooth smartwatch, wireless earbuds, or vehicle dashboard.
7. Choose your preferred conditions and tap Turn on to confirm.

How to Manually Lock Your Phone in an Emergency

If you are at home and someone unexpected handles your phone, you can instantly override Extend Unlock and force a full biometric lockdown:

1. Press the physical power button to show your lock screen.
2. Look at the bottom of the screen. You will see an unlocked padlock icon.
3. Touch and hold the padlock icon for one second.
4. The icon will snap shut. Extend Unlock is now temporarily disarmed until you manually type your master PIN again.

Safety Advice for Trusted Places

Keep in mind that GPS location signals can occasionally reach up to 80-100 metres outside your front door. For the highest security in dense apartment buildings, pairing your phone with a wearable Trusted Device (such as a Galaxy Watch or Pixel Watch) provides more precise proximity protection than GPS geofencing.