Lock Delay on FroYo

Those that have installed early pre-release builds of FroYo have discovered that Lock Delay does not work correctly any more.

Unfortunately, Lock Delay is not and may never be FroYo compatible. In Android 2.2, changes were made to some of the system settings APIs that were used by Lock Delay. The setting for enabling and disabling the pattern lock is now read-only for non-root processes. Infact, Lock Delay doesn't even show up on the Market when you search from a FroYo device because of the API incompatibility.

All devices running Android versions prior to FroYo 2.2 are unaffected by this change and can continue using Lock Delay normally.

Android 2.2 FroYo

Today Google announced the next version of the Android operating system.
Continuing with the dessert theme, version 2.2 is code named FroYo (FROzen YOgurt)

All I have to say is: I can't wait. Verizon/Motorola can't get that Droid update out soon enough.

Lock Delay 2.1.7

Today's update addresses the following issues:

Previously, the "Lock at Boot Up" option was unreliable. Android does not always start the Lock Delay service immediately on boot up so there were cases when it would be easy to bypass the pattern lock. With this version, this should no longer happen. The lock is now engaged before the system shuts down so it will be locked on the next boot-up. Additionally, whenever the Lock Delay service is terminated, if your delayed action is the pattern lock, the pattern lock will be re-engaged. I believe these changes make more sense to keep your device secure.

Previously, if you wanted to temporarily disable the lock delay service, your only choice was to uninstall it and then re-download later. With this release though, new control has been added to allow you to disable or enable the service at will. Simply uncheck the "Lock Delay Service Status" option to disable. When you're ready to re-enable it, just check the box again.

Other changes were made to improve service control from the options activity. The "Set Pattern Unlock" option has also been updated to launch the Android system pattern wizard instead of displaying the "location & security" options panel.

Please keep the feedback coming. I do read and try to respond to each and every email.

As always, for comments, questions, suggestions or product support, please contact me through my Google Profile

Home Screen Widget?

The number one requested feature I have received since the launch of Lock Delay has been a "Lock Now" home screen widget.

In fact I would love to use this feature myself. I even went as far as I could in the implementation. Unfortunately, the Android SDK presents a bit of a road block. There doesn't seem to be any way provided for apps to forcefully shut off the screen. Without that ability, the widget would not be useful.

I'm hoping to be proven wrong here so if anyone knows of a way to programmatically turn off the display and sleep the phone, PLEASE contact me through my Google Profile

Lock Delay 2.1.4 - 2.1.6

I pushed out a minor update today that corrects a bug related to the new "no keyguard" settings.

There were instances where if you your screen off setting was "no keyguard" and the delayed action was simple or pattern lock, in some cases, the delayed action was not being applied due to some quirks in the Android system keyguard.

If you are still experiencing a similar issue, please contact me directly.

As always, for comments, questions, suggestions or product support, please contact me through my Google Profile
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UPDATE: 4/11/2010 additional changes were made in version 2.1.6 to fix bugs related to "no keyguard" settings.

Lock Delay 2.1

Lock Delay 2.1 was released today on Android Market with a notable change. Thanks to some user feedback, a greater level of customization is now possible.

In the default configuration, when Lock Delay is running, after the screen shuts off, the simple keyguard is enabled:

Simple Keyguard - in Android 2.0 and up, this is the slide to unlock mechanism where you simply move the slide at the bottom of the screen from left to right. Prior version of Android just require you to press the "menu" button in some cases.

Once the chosen delay period has lapsed, the delayed action is executed. By default, this is the Pattern Lock:

Pattern Lock - this is the most secure of the available modes. It uses the built in Android screen unlock pattern (found in the location & security settings). In this mode, the user must reproduce the connect-the-dots type pattern in order to unlock the screen.

It will then stay in this configuration until the phone is unlocked. Also "No Keyguard" is now available to be used in either the initial "Screen Off Action" or the "Delayed Action".

So if desired, Lock Delay can completely disable the keyguard if the "Screen Off Action" and "Delayed Action" were both set to "No Keyguard". Another possibility now is that the keyguard could be disabled when the screen initially is shut off but after the delay period, one of the 2 keyguards could be enabled.

So to recap, there are now 2 actions that can each be configured in 1 of 3 modes:

• Screen Off Action
• Delayed Action

• No Keyguard
• Simple Keyguard
• Pattern Lock

There is a small restriction though that should make sense. The Delayed Action cannot be a less secure lock mode than the Screen Off Action. We wouldn't want the Screen off Action to be a full pattern lock only yo have it be completely disabled by the No Keyguard setting later when the Delay Timer is up.

An option also exists to run the service when the phone first boots up and enable the pattern lock immediately.

Additionally, I was made aware of a bit of a security vulnerability that exists in Android 1.5 and 1.6 where under some odd circumstances, the pattern lock could have been bypassed. New precautions have been taken in this update to ensure this does not happen. This is reason enough for existing users to upgrade to this latest version.

Please ensure that you have set your unlock pattern to something you can remember. If the pattern is not set, anything will unlock it. If you set a pattern you cannot remember, the system will require you to log into your Google account again and/or hard reset to factory defaults.

As always, I can be reached for Questions, Comments, & Support requests through my Google profile

click or scan the barcode from your android handset to download.

Lock Delay 1.1

Lock Delay version 1.1 was just uploaded to the Android Market. In this version, a user suggestion was incorporated. Now when the lock pattern is enabled, the regular slide to unlock screen will not be displayed. There were circumstances in previous versions where the user would be required to input the standard slide unlock and then the pattern too. Now, the user should only be required to perform one unlock gesture.

On a side note, I got my official Motorola Droid 2.1 update installed today and am pleased to report that Lock Delay still works as well as it did before.

Lock Delay 1.01

"Smart Lock" is now known as "Lock Delay" for clarity and simplicity.

Not to mention someone already had the name "Smart Lock". Whoops! My sincere apologies to David at www.goldfishview.com.

Smart Lock 1.0

Smart Lock was released on the Android Market today. Smart Lock is a service that runs in the background and enables the built in Android Pattern Lock after a predefined delay has lapsed.

Before use, you must set your unlock pattern in the Android system settings. If a lock pattern has not been created, android will allow the phone to be unlocked with any pattern.

click or scan the barcode from your android handset to download.

for support or questions, please contact me directly