Keep Your Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Secure by Using Locks
Edited by Leomar Umpad, Eng, Lynn, Maria Quinney and 16 others
- 1 This is part of the VisiHow on how to use the Samsung Galaxy Note3. You can visit the main reference of the article on how to Use Samsung Galaxy Note 3 for a full list of Note3 VisiHow Articles
- 2 Five Types of Locks on Samsung Galaxy Note3
- 3 About Samsung Galaxy Note3's Swipe Lock
- 4 About Samsung Galaxy Note3's Signature Lock
- 5 About Samsung Galaxy Note3's Pattern Lock
- 6 About Samsung Galaxy Note3's PIN Lock
- 7 About Samsung Galaxy Note3's Password Lock
- 8 How to Change Screen Lock
- 9 How to Configure Additional Screen Lock Settings
- 10 Questions and Answers
- 10.1 How to change the pattern dot image?
- 10.2 How can I unlock my phone after inserting many patterns?
- 10.3 How to record incoming and outgoing calls?
- 10.4 The PIN number display has changed to white squares/rectangles instead of numbers. How do I get it back to numbers? Thanks?
- 10.5 Experiencing problems unlocking my phone with my signature?
- 10.6 I thought I'd try password, hate it. Followed all the directions but the list of security options has swipe faded out/unavailable. Please help me get swipe back. I'd like to get rid of the clock too. Thanks for your time.
- 11 Comments
This is part of the VisiHow on how to use the Samsung Galaxy Note3. You can visit the main reference of the article on how to Use Samsung Galaxy Note 3 for a full list of Note3 VisiHow Articles
The cellphone is one of the most personal items you will own. Your smartphone may contain confidential information such as passwords, pictures, user accounts and restricted messages. This is why you should keep it safe by allowing only access to those who are allowed to use it. The Samsung Galaxy Note3 has five different lock features you can choose from, to keep your Samsung Galaxy Note3 safe from unauthorized access.
Five Types of Locks on Samsung Galaxy Note3
The following are the five different ways of locking your Samsung Galaxy Note3:
- 1This is the least secure of all the lock patterns. The swipe method enables any user to open and use the device by simply swiping the lock screen. This method has no security value for basic Android users.Swipe.
- 2This allows you to lock your Samsung Galaxy Note3 by using a pre-set signature pattern.Signature.
- 3This allows you to lock your Samsung Galaxy Note3 by tracing a pre-set pattern through the nine dots.Pattern.
- 4This allows you to lock your Samsung Galaxy Note3 with a pre-set personal identification number (PIN).PIN.
- 5This allows you to lock your Samsung Galaxy Note3 with a pre-determined password.Password.
About Samsung Galaxy Note3's Swipe Lock
Swipe allows you to lock your phone to prevent applications from accidentally opening or making unwanted calls to contacts. Aside from that, Swipe offers no security for your phone, so only use this type of lock if you are not very particular with the data on your Samsung Galaxy Note3.
How to Enable Swipe Lock Screen on Samsung Galaxy Note3
Follow the procedures below to enable Swipe lock on your Galaxy Note3:
- 1You can tap on the Home key (middle hard button) to get to the home screen instantly. You can also tap on the Back key a few times, and it will take you to the home screen.Go to the home screen of your Samsung Galaxy Note3.
How to Unlock your Galaxy Note3 by Using Swipe
When your screen is locked by Swipe, follow the instructions on this section to unlock your phone and have access to it again.
- 1With the screen off, press the Power button once to turn on your screen.
- 2With the Swipe lock on, tap and hold on the screen.
- 3While still holding the screen, swipe your finger on any part of the screen.
- 4Your phone has now been unlocked from the Swipe lock screen.
About Samsung Galaxy Note3's Signature Lock
Signature lock allows you to set a signature lock on your Samsung Galaxy Note3 so access to your device will be through a signature. This is a complex lock as you may have different strokes when you set your signature to the point where you sign in to unlock your device so a PIN is required in case Note3 won't recognize your signature.
How to Enable Signature Lock on Samsung Galaxy Note3
- 1You can either tap on the Home key once, or tap the Back key repeatedly to get to the home screen.Go to your Note3's home screen.
- 2Tap the lower-left soft key button, this is the Menu button. Tapping on the Menu button will show the available menu and options for your Galaxy Note3.Tap on the Menu key.
- 3Tapping on the Settings icon will allow you to view the settings available for your Galaxy Note3.Tap on the Settings icon.
- 4The device tab is the second tab on the Settings menu.Tap on the Device tab.
- 5Tapping on the lock screen will show the different lock screens available for your Note3.Tap on Lock Screen.
- 6
- 7Tapping on the Signature option will allow you to start setting up the Signature lock for your Samsung Galaxy Note3.Tap on Signature.
- 8
- 9
- 10The third time you put in your signature, your phone will ask you to confirm. Simply tap on the Confirm button located on the lower-right part of the screen.Tap on Confirm.
- 11You will be asked for a PIN. The PIN will be used as a replacement lock for the signature. This may come in handy when you experience problems unlocking your phone with your signature.Enter a PIN.
- 12You have successfully activated the Signature lock on your Samsung Galaxy Note3.
How to Unlock your Galaxy Note3 by using Signature
When your screen is locked by Signature, follow the instructions on this section to unlock your phone and have access to it again.
- 1With the screen off, press the Power button once to turn on your screen.
- 2Using the S Pen, input the pre-set signature.
- 3If you signature is not recognized, re-enter it again.
- 4This is an indication that your phone has now been unlocked using the Signature.You will now be taken to the last page you were viewing.
How to Unlock your Galaxy Note3 if Signature is Not Recognized
If your Galaxy Note3 refuses to accept the signature you are giving, you may use the pre-set PIN that you set with your Signature lock. Simply enter the correct PIN and you will have access to your device again.
About Samsung Galaxy Note3's Pattern Lock
Pattern lock allows you to unlock your Galaxy Note3 using a pre-determined pattern. Pattern can be drawn by connecting nine dots on the lock screen. Once you have entered the correct pattern, your phone will then be unlocked so you can have access to it again. A pattern lock is classified to be of medium security. This is because it allows your phone to be really secure for unauthorized access but the lock pattern can be easily observed and noted when you are unlocking it.
How to Enable Pattern Lock on Samsung Galaxy Note3
- 1You can tap on the home key (middle hard button) to get to the home screen instantly. You can also tap on the Back key a few times and it will take you to the home screen.Go to the home screen of your Samsung Galaxy Note3.
- 2Tap the lower-left soft key button, this is the Menu button. Tapping on the Menu button will show available menu and options for your Galaxy Note3.Tap on the Menu key.
- 3From the list of options available on the Menu, tap on the Settings to get to your Note3's settings options.From the Menu key, tap on the Settings icon.
- 4The device tab is the second tab on the Settings menu.Tap on the Device tab.
- 5Scroll down until you see the Lock screen option. Tap on it to open lock screen options.From the Device tab, tap on the Lock screen option.
- 6
- 7Under the Select screen lock options, tap on the third option to set lock on your phone using a pattern.Tap on Pattern.
- 8
- 9Once you have created your pattern lock, tap on the Continue button on the lower-right part of your screen to proceed to the next step.Tap on Continue.
- 10Do the pattern lock again to make sure that you have not mistaken anything during the process of making it. Enter the same pattern entered on the previous step.Confirm the lock pattern by drawing it again.
- 11Once you have redrawn your pattern lock, confirm it by tapping on the Confirm button.Tap on the Confirm button.
- 12
- 13When you are done entering the PIN, tap on the Continue button to proceed to the next page.Tap on Continue.
- 14
- 15You have successfully activated the pattern lock on your Samsung Galaxy Note3.
How to Unlock your Galaxy Note3 by Using Pattern lock
Follow the procedures below to unlock your Galaxy Note3 with the Pattern lock:
- 1With the screen off, press the Power button once to turn on your screen.
- 2Your phone will ask you for the Pattern lock for your phone.
- 3Draw the lock pattern by connecting the nine dots on the screen.
- 4After drawing the correct pattern, your Galaxy Note3 will now unlock.
- 5You have successfully unlocked your Galaxy Note3, and you can now have access to it.
About Samsung Galaxy Note3's PIN Lock
PIN lock allows your phone to be secured by requiring the PIN code before anyone can have access to your Galaxy Note3. PIN lock requires you to enter a four to 16 digit code making it range from medium to high security offer.
How to Enable PIN Lock on Samsung Galaxy Note3
- 1Get to Galaxy Note3's home screen.
- 2On the Home screen, tap on the Menu key.
- 3From the Menu, tap on Settings.
- 4From Settings, tap on the Device tab.
- 5From the Device tab, tap on Lock screen.
- 6
- 7Under the Select Screen Lock Options, tap on the third option to set lock on your phone using a pattern.Tap on PIN.
- 8
- 9Tap on Continue button.
- 10
- 11You have successfully activated the PIN lock on your Samsung Galaxy Note3.
How to Unlock your Galaxy Note3 by Using PIN Lock
Follow the procedures below to unlock your Galaxy Note3 with the PIN lock:
- 1With the screen off, press the Power button once to turn on your screen.
- 2You will be asked for the PIN lock key of your phone.
- 3Enter the correct digit combination.
- 4Once the correct PIN has been entered, your phone will now be unlocked.
- 5You now have access to it.You have successfully unlocked your Galaxy Note3.
About Samsung Galaxy Note3's Password Lock
Password lock is considered to be the most secure lock for your phone. Setting up the password lock is very similar to the setup up for the PIN lock. The main difference between the two methods is that the password lock includes alphabet characters while the PIN lock only requires numbers.
How to Enable Password Lock on Samsung Galaxy Note3
- 1Get to Galaxy Note3's Home screen.
- 2On the Home screen, tap on the Menu key.
- 3From the Menu, tap on Settings.
- 4From Settings, tap on the Device tab.
- 5From the Device tab, tap on Lock screen.
- 6
- 7Tap on Password.
- 8The password must be a minimum of four characters and a maximum of 16 characters.Enter an alphanumeric password.
- 9
- 10
- 11You have successfully activated the password lock on your Samsung Galaxy Note3.
How to Unlock your Galaxy Note3 by Using Password Lock
Follow the procedures below to unlock your Galaxy Note3 with the Password lock:
- 1With the screen off, press the Power button once to turn on your screen.
- 2You will be asked for the Password of your phone.
- 3Enter the alphanumeric combination set with your phone.
- 4Once the password is correctly entered, your phone will now be unlocked.
- 5You now have access to it.You have successfully unlocked your Galaxy Note3.
How to Change Screen Lock
If you have already set up a lock for your phone and you want to change it, follow the procedures below:
- 1Get to Galaxy Note3's home screen.
- 2On the home screen, tap on the Menu key.
- 3From the Menu, tap on Settings.
- 4From Settings, tap on the Device tab.
- 5From the Device tab, tap on Lock screen.
- 6From the Lock screen, tap on Screen lock.
- 7Since you have already set up a lock for your phone, you will be asked to enter the said lock.Enter the security lock.
- 8After entering the correct lock, tap on the Continue button to proceed.Tap on Continue.
- 9You will now be shown the lock screen options; choose your desired lock screen and follow the procedure above for enabling it.
- 10You are done changing the screen lock feature of your Samsung Galaxy Note3.
How to Configure Additional Screen Lock Settings
When you have enabled a screen lock, it has some additional screen lock settings with it. Every screen lock has different settings. We will run through the whole list to give you an idea on what these additional settings do.
Additional Options for all Lock Types
- 1Allows you to display widgets on the lock screen. You can turn this ON and OFF. Once OFF, only the clock and personal message widget is displayed on screen. When ON, you can opt to have the following widgets displayed:Multiple Widgets Options.
- Favorite Apps. Allows you to add a widget with the shortcuts to your favorite applications. Tap on the Edit icon (pen icon) in the widget to customize the apps to be displayed.
- Camera. This allows you to access the native camera application whenever you swipe to the left of the lock screen.
- 2Allows you to adjust the clock widget settings. Available sub-options are:Clock widget options.
- Dual Clock. Allows you to display dual clocks on your lock screen. You can display your home city's current time and the current local time of the place you are in now. This can be very useful for people who constantly travel. This option can be turned ON or OFF by tapping on the slider.
- Clock Size. Allows you to adjust the size of the clock displayed on the lock screen.
- Show Date. Allows you to show the date to the clock widget.
- Weather. Allows you to set your preferred unit of measurement for temperature and the refresh rate of the weather widget.
- 3Allows you to add up to five shortcuts on the lock screen. You can turn this feature ON and OFF. To use, turn ON feature, tap on shortcuts and then choose from the list of applications.Shortcuts.
- 4Allows you to add a personal message on the lock screen. You can turn this feature ON and OFF.Personal Message.
- 5Allows you to add information about yourself. You can enter your email address and an alternate contact number. This can be very helpful in case you lose your phone. Your contact information will be shown on the lock screen and can be very helpful for someone who found your device to easily get in touch with you.Owner Information.
- 6Allows you to select the ink effect color when unlocking with the Ripple effect and the S Pen.Ink Effect.
- 7Allows you to enable Action Memo feature on your lock screen by pressing on the S Pen button and touching your Galaxy Note3's screen twice using the S Pen.Action Memo on Lock Screen.
- 8Display the help text.Help Text.
Additional Options for Specific Lock Types
The following options won't show to some lock types:
- 1Available for Swipe and Pattern locks only. Allows you to choose the type of effect when you perform the swiping gesture on your Galaxy Note3. Available effects are: None, Oil paint, Watercolor, Ripple effect, and Light effect.Unlock Effect.
- 2Available for Signature lock only. Allows you to show your signature when using with the Signature lock. You can opt to turn this ON or OFF by checking or unchecking the tick box.Make Signature Visible.
- 3Available for Signature lock only. Allows you to set how accurate your signature should be. Higher accuracy levels mean that the phone will not allow entry to device if there is a slight difference between your signature and the pre-defined ones.Accuracy Level.
- 4Available for PIN nature lock only. Allows you to show the pattern drawn when using with the Pattern lock. You can opt to turn this ON or OFF by checking or unchecking the tick box.Make Pattern Visible.
- 5Available for Swipe lock only. Allows you to set up to four wake up functions when you perform the swiping gesture.Wake Up in Lock Screen.
Questions and Answers
How to change the pattern dot image?
In the pattern system there are 9 dots. but I want to set image in that dots..
The dots that you are seeing on the screen is where you can create an image but understand that when creating the image you are going to need to create an image by connecting the dots that you are viewing at this time. You cannot set an image as the password but you can use your fingers to connect the dots in order to be able to create a password image using the dots.
Also you can view the video below so that you can see how the process is performed on your device at this time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIWH0j2P-6g
How can I unlock my phone after inserting many patterns?
Hi my phone has been locked after putting many patterns, its asking for my Google account and password yet if I put it, it rejects it. Please help me
In order to unlock your phone, you need to have access to your Google account. If your Android phone is rejecting your Google account, it's likely because you're inserting different account information or a wrong password. To unlock your phone, you should use the email and password that you used to register to the Google Play store.
If you are not sure about your password, follow the steps below to reset your Gmail account password:
- 1On your computer desktop, open the web browser.
- 2
- 3Select 'I don't know my password' and enter your email.
- 4These steps are unique for each user and can be different from time to time.Follow the Google steps to reset your device.
- 5Once you reset your password, enter your username and new password on your phone.
- 6Follow the remaining steps from Google to unlock your Android phone.
If you have any difficulties unlocking your phone, read our article on how to recover Android device in case of a forgotten password or pattern.
How to record incoming and outgoing calls?
How to record incoming and outgoing calls in Samsung Galaxy S316?
You can install an application from Play Store onto your Samsung Galaxy . Automatic Call Recorder, RMC: Android Call Recorder, and Call Recorder can cope with the task.
Please always remember that recording some type of calls may be illegal without consent from the participating parties in some areas of the world.
The PIN number display has changed to white squares/rectangles instead of numbers. How do I get it back to numbers? Thanks?
Where I enter my PIN, the screen has changed from numbers to square or rectangular white icons. How do I change it back so that it reflects the numbers again. Thanks.
Remove the battery for a few minutes. Then reinsert and see if your phone is back to normal. If not, you will have to perform a hard reset to revert to factory settings since you can't unlock the phone and go into your Settings to change your keyboard.
Experiencing problems unlocking my phone with my signature?
I chose signature lock and made all the procedures and entered the pin but whenever I try to unlock, it is saying that I did it incorrectly and the pin is wrong although I am sure of everything
Disable the lock. Something was corrupted when you set this up. Use your Google Account to bypass the lock and then set it up again. You may have to put your phone into Recovery and choose Wipe Cache Partition to access the other lock options.
I have a Samsung Note3 and foolishly decided to play with the lock settings and I hate the way the password option looks. I just want to restore the swipe option. But the option is faded and not selectable when I try to change it. I want to get the clock off too.
Go into Settings and under Security choose Clear Credentials. Then put your phone into Recovery and choose Wipe Cache Partition. You can then just use the Swype. I had the same issue on my daughters Samsung tablet which kept reverting back to the lock screen even when I disabled it. Finally, Wipe Cache Partition removed it permanently. As for the clock, this would involve a Custom OS and rooting your phone. You could try to set a different app tray screen as your home screen or install a third party app lock without the clock display.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.