Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides

Everything about Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra

unlock Galaxy S20

How to use Galaxy S20 lockdown mode?

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Galaxy S20 lockdown modeGalaxy S20 lockdown mode allows you to turn off biometric and smart lock in some special situations to enhance security and privacy protection.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 lockdown mode is, when to use it, how to enable and exit the lockdown mode.

The lockdown mode is available in all Samsung Galaxy phones with Android Pie (Android 9), Android 10, or Android 11. So, this guide applies to not only Galaxy S20 phones but also Galaxy phones with Android 9 and later versions including Galaxy S8, Galaxy S9, Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy Note 20.

What is Galaxy S20 lockdown mode?

Android 9 (Android Pie) introduced the lockdown mode to boost phone security on-the-fly. And Samsung implemented it in all od their Galaxy phones with Android 9 or later Android OS.

Galaxy S20 lockdown mode, once activated,  blocks all biometric security (face unlock and fingerprint) and smart lock. In the lockdown mode, the only way to unlock your Galaxy S20 is using the primary PIN, Pattern or Password.

Voice recognition (Bixby and Google Assistant) will also not work when the lockdown mode is activated.

Besides, all notifications that would usually be displayed on the Galaxy S20 lock screen will be hidden, and you can only read them after you unlock the phone.

In a nutshell, Galaxy S20 lockdown mode:

  1. Force you to use PIN, Pattern or Password to unlock Galaxy S20.
  2. Hide all notifications from the lock screen regardless of the notification settings for the lock screen.

Therefore, it is a security feature, not a convenience feature.

Please note, Galaxy S20 lockdown mode is a one-time feature. It means it will return to normal once you unlock Galaxy S20 with PIN, pattern or password. If you need the mode again, you have to activate it again.

If you want to use the lockdown mode permanently, you may set the phone in this way:

  • Delete the registered facial features and fingerprints
  • Reset the smart lock and remove any trusted devices and locations.
  • Choose not to show any notification on the lock screen.
  • Disable Bixby and Google Assistant on the lock screen.

Anyway, this would cause some inconveniences.

When to use Galaxy S20 lockdown mode?

Using face recognition to unlock Galaxy S20 is usually blazingly … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S20 face recognition (face unlock)?

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use Galaxy S20 face recognition (face unlock)You can use Galaxy S20 face recognition to unlock the phone (face unlock) by just looking at the phone.

Because the in-display ultrasound fingerprint reader on Galaxy S20 ( and S10) is hard to use and is slow, many Galaxy S20 owners have to use face recognition to unlock the phone and find that face recognition (face unlock) is faster than the fingerprint.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 face recognition is, how to use and manage face recognition to unlock Galaxy S20, how to register your facial features for face unlock, and limitations of Galaxy S20 face recognition.

Galaxy S20 face recognition (face unlock) works identically on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. So this guide applies to all of these three models.

What is Galaxy S20 face recognition (face unlock)?

In addition to using a PIN or password, you can use your biometrics to unlock Galaxy S20 (and other Android phones as well).

Galaxy S20 implements two biometrics features:

  1. Fingerprint.
  2. Facial recognition.

Please note, Samsung stopped using (the most promising) iris scanner since Galaxy S10. You can find the iris scanner on Galaxy S8, S9, Note 8 and Note 9.

So, you can use your fingerprint and face to unlock Galaxy S20 if you want. By default, both fingerprint and facial recognition is not enabled.

Android included face unlock since Android 4.0 (Icecream Sandwich). Of course, it is less accurate than a fingerprint reader. Prior to Android Nougat (Android 7.0), it is easy to fool the phone with a photo.

In recent releases, Android has greatly improved facial recognition. It is fast enough so that you do not need to wait too long. It is accurate enough so that you cannot cheat it with a photo.

Of course, the face unlock on all Android phones is still considered as “less” secure than the fingerprint.

When Samsung ditched the iris scanner (and the intelligent scan), Samsung did NOT add an IR camera. So, on Galaxy S20, face unlock purely relies on the selfie camera. It is NOT comparable to Apple Face ID.

You may consider the Galaxy S20 facial recognition if you need an alternative to the inferior in-display fingerprint scanner.

Why is Galaxy S20 face recognition (face unlock) important?

As mentioned, in most Android phones, the traditional fingerprint reader works very well. You just put your finger on the reader, and it can wake … Read the rest

How to use app shortcuts on Galaxy S20 lock screen?

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manage and use app shortcuts on Galaxy S20 lock screenYou can add up to two app shortcuts on Galaxy S20 lock screen so that you can use these apps without unlocking the phone, or use the app directly after unlocking the phone.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains how the app shortcuts on Galaxy S20 lock screen work, how to manage, customize and use the app shortcuts on the lock screen, how to use the floating button for app shortcuts.

App shortcuts are available on all Galaxy S20 models: Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. So, this guide applies to all these three Galaxy S20 models.

How do app shortcuts on Galaxy S20 lock screen work?

As explained in this guide, on Galaxy S20 lock screen, by default, there are two app shortcuts (Phone app and Camera app, by default) on the two bottom corners.

You can drag or swipe the icon to the centre of the screen to use the two apps without unlocking Galaxy S20.

There are no security issues with the app shortcuts on the Galaxy S20 lock screen.

Most apps will work only after you unlock Galaxy S20. Only selected apps will work without accessing your data and without unlocking Galaxy S20.

Your data are always safe. They can only be accessed after you unlock the phone. There is no exception.

So, the app shortcuts on Galaxy S20 lock screen work in different ways depending on the app shortcuts you put there:

  1. Without restrictions. For apps that do not access any data, they can work normally. For example, you can use Flashlight or Do Not Disturb without any restriction on the lock screen.
  2. With restrictions. For selected apps, including  Phone app, Camera app, they can run in a restricted mode. For example, the Phone app on the lock screen can only be used for emergency calls. The camera app can only be used to take photos or record videos, and it can only access photos or videos taken in that session. Of course, you can use all Galaxy S20 camera modes and change some camera settings.
  3. Unlocking the phone is required. For most apps, you need to unlock the phone to continue the app.

As a convenience feature,  you should put the most frequently used apps on the lock screen so that you can access them quicker than tapping the app icons on the home … Read the rest