Pattern lock guides
Short, plain answers about remembering and protecting the pattern on your phone.
How to set up a lock on an older parent's phone
How I put a pattern lock on my father's phone after a guest went through it at a family party, and how to choose a lock an older parent can live with.
Forgot your pattern lock? What to do on Android
Forgot your Android pattern lock? What to try first, which phone features can still get you in, and what a factory reset really erases. Safe steps only.
How many possible pattern locks are there on a 3x3 grid?
There are 389,112 possible pattern locks on a 3x3 Android grid. The count for each length, how it compares with a PIN, and how to pick a harder pattern.
How to remember your pattern lock
Simple ways to remember an Android pattern lock: tie it to a shape or a number, practise it on day one, and keep one private picture outside the phone.
Is it safe to save your pattern lock as a picture?
A picture of your pattern lock is as safe as the place you keep it. Who could misuse it, where to store it, where not to, and what to do after downloading.