What's safer? Using a numeric PIN code to unlock your Android smartphone or relying on a finger squiggle? Newly-released research suggests that, at least when someone close by could be looking over ...

Locking your Android smartphone with a password, PIN or unlock pattern is your first defense against those who would use it for malicious purposes like stealing your info or sending joke texts to your ...

If you have an Apple or an Android phone—and you probably do—you have the option of locking your phone using a PIN code. With most of these phones, you can choose a four-digit PIN or a six-digit PIN.

If your smart lock is connected to a voice assistant, be sure to use a PIN to unlock it with voice commands. It's a stretch, but it is possible to create workarounds with IFTTT to avoid using the PIN.

Update, May 26, 2025: This story, originally published May 24, has been updated with a brief history of PIN codes, information regarding the most secure codes you can use and why 8068 really isn’t the ...

There's nothing particularly difficult about cracking a smartphone's four-digit PIN code. All it takes is a pair of thumbs and enough persistence to try all 10,000 combinations. But hackers hoping to ...