# Do you lock your phone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 8, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815 "2013-05-08T17:05:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/41 "2013-05-08T23:36:30Z")
I don’t own any phone that can be locked. No cell phone or smart phone or whatever phone; I just have a plain old land line. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/42 "2013-05-08T23:42:11Z")
It’s like any other form of security: choose the right option for you, and it’s can’t-hurt-might-help. Assuming there is no value in locking it at all, or that a moment to unlock it is an 'orrible 'orrible waste of your time, or that it’s not worth that small cost to prevent casual misuse, snooping and info theft… the only good argument is that it’s inconvenient. In which case you might need to think about WHY you have to access your phone thirty or forty times a day or more. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/43 "2013-05-09T00:26:50Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > the only good argument is that it’s inconvenient. Good enough for me. > [@](#): > > In which case you might need to think about WHY you have to access your phone thirty or forty times a day or more. Inconveniencing me once a day for no gain is still too often if I can easily avoid it. But, for the life of me, I can’t imagine why anyone else would care how often I access my phone or whether or not it’s enough to make it “worth” my set-up decisions. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/44 "2013-05-09T01:04:15Z")
Not locked. No reason to. No one in my life nosy enough to go through it secretly, and if it’s stolen all they have to do is a factory reset. I can change email passwords easily enough if the thief were to use the phone for that, but it’s not likely. If I lived in a household with other people, I might use a passcode just in case someone got curious or if there were kids or something, but that’s the only thing I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/45 "2013-05-09T01:10:15Z")
I don’t lock mine. It’s either on me or on the charger by my bed at all times, not sitting in a coat pocket or in a locker at work. I have embarrassing stuff on it, but nothing that could actually hurt me if used against me. No real point to locking it, so I don’t bother. Friends of mine who use Android tend to use pattern swipes for unlocking, and I’ve been able to “hack” them (with their permission) using the glass reflection method above. And few use complex patterns; watching someone unlock their phone by swiping just once is all you’d need to bypass their security, without needing to do the reflection trick. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/46 "2013-05-09T01:45:52Z")
No. I put a PIN on it for a while but it game me the shits having to enter the PIN everytime a message or notification came in, so I turned it off. Now I just have the basic Android swipe one to one side to open. No password or intricate patterns. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/47 "2013-05-09T02:25:26Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > In which case you might need to think about WHY you have to access your phone thirty or forty times a day or more. You understand that phones these days are basically computers that can also make phone calls, right? I’m on my phone right now. I use my phone for Facebook, emails, texts, games (that goddamn Candy Crush), news, camera, phone calls, etc. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/48 "2013-05-09T13:06:51Z")
I lock my iPhone with the 4 digit PIN. I don’t want someone making expensive international calls to Portugal or Brasil. It also has the functionality to have me track it’s location if it is stolen and nuke the phone. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/49 "2013-05-09T14:29:06Z")
I lock my phone with a pattern. My email is basically the gateway to my entire life, so I lock the phone in case I ever lose it or have it stolen. I also have Cerberus installed so I can remotely track, lock out or wipe the phone. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/50 "2013-05-09T15:17:00Z")
Nope. I walk on the wild side. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/51 "2013-05-09T17:43:05Z")
Yes. If it were stolen and unlocked, someone could make phone calls worth hundreds, and if I didn’t report it straight away I’d be liable for the bill. This happened to me once years ago when an acquaintance stole my phone at my house and at first I was sure I must have just lost it in the house somewhere. Said acquaintance was also able to access all my photos of my young daughter as well as all my phone numbers. These days he’d also be able to read my email and go on my facebook account, this messageboard, find my CV saved in documents, etc. Also, my GF is extremely nosey. I have nothing to hide, but I had to decrease the time-lock because I’d keep coming in to the room to find her on my phone, reading little things like posts on this messageboard. It felt invasive and she admitted that she wouldn’t be able to resist if the phone were unlocked. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/52 "2013-05-09T19:16:34Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > Many of those android phones have NFC in them, which may allow a hacker to steal your credit card information _merely by getting close to you_ and without you knowing. Eh, no, not really. 1. Plenty of Android phones still don’t have NFC. 2. And out of the ones that do, most of them don’t have Google Wallet anyway. 3. And then out of the ones that do have Google Wallet, most people don’t use it, because seriously, what merchants accept Google Wallet? 4. Even then, it’s tricky. They would have to be very near you…like, uncomfortably close, and be holding an obvious electronic gizmo aimed at either your purse, pocket, or hand. And hold it there for several seconds. Also, your screen has to be on: > [@](#): > > The NFC antenna in your phone is only activated when the screen is powered on, and even if the antenna is on and in proximity of a reader, payment credentials can only be transmitted from the Secure Element to a payment terminal after you have entered your Google Wallet PIN. > **[Google Wallet - Your Fast and Secure Digital Wallet](https://wallet.google/)** > > Google Wallet gives you fast, secure access to your everyday essentials. Take the train, tap to pay in stores, and more with your digital wallet. Plus, the CC information isn’t really on the phone…the actual CC info is on a secure server, and there is a Secure Chip in your phone that has authentication algorithms in it that communicate with both the merchant’s payment system and the secure server. No one is going to steal anyone’s CC info through NFC anytime soon. It’s much easier and profitable to just outright steal something, or if they want to go the “cyber-crimes” route, to just sniff around public wifi’s and find someone making an online payment to a non-secure website. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/53 "2013-05-09T21:02:42Z")
I don’t because I don’t want to have to enter a code 100 times a day. And I play my car’s music through my phone, so I can’t access my tunes in my car if I have to put a code in every few minutes (I relentlessly skip songs). I understand it’s less safe, but the invconvenience outweighs the fear. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/54 "2013-05-10T05:00:26Z")
This is one of the few IMHO polls that very much surprised me. I would have guessed that 80% of more would say, “Yes.” That more don’t than do is, well, surprising! I do, but it’s a measley four-digit PIN, so it isn’t exactly Fort Knox. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/55 "2013-05-10T05:10:26Z")
It’s surprising me, too. I really thought I’d be in a very clear minority. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/56 "2013-05-10T14:33:50Z")
I don’t lock mine, either. I have an iPhone and if it’s locked, how would emergency people get to my ICE list if I’m in an accident? ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/57 "2013-05-10T15:55:36Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Yes. If it were stolen and unlocked, someone could make phone calls worth hundreds, and if I didn’t report it straight away I’d be liable for the bill. Do people actually get stuck with the bill when their phones are stolen? I had my stolen once, about $700 worth of calls to Europe and Africa were made, and AT&T didn’t stick me with it. New phone, only paid for my calls, the end. In general when something of yours is lost/stolen, don’t companies forgive fraudulent charges? Like with your credit card, for example. Anywho, I do lock mine, but there’s really no purpose. If someone takes my phone, I’m never getting it back anyway, so what do I care? I don’t have any naked pictures or private info on there. My e-mail password is stored, but I can change that. I thnk I just have a habit of putting passwords on things. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/58 "2013-05-10T16:02:59Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > I don’t because I don’t want to have to enter a code 100 times a day. And I play my car’s music through my phone, so I can’t access my tunes in my car if I have to put a code in every few minutes (I relentlessly skip songs). > > I understand it’s less safe, but the invconvenience outweighs the fear. i set my ipad to lock after an hour of idle time, so a password is only needed once per “session”. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/59 "2013-05-11T13:41:24Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Do people actually get stuck with the bill when their phones are stolen? I had my stolen once, about $700 worth of calls to Europe and Africa were made, and AT&T didn’t stick me with it. New phone, only paid for my calls, the end. In general when something of yours is lost/stolen, don’t companies forgive fraudulent charges? Like with your credit card, for example. > > Anywho, I do lock mine, but there’s really no purpose. If someone takes my phone, I’m never getting it back anyway, so what do I care? I don’t have any naked pictures or private info on there. My e-mail password is stored, but I can change that. I thnk I just have a habit of putting passwords on things. Like I said, if I didn’t report it straight away I’d be stuck with the bill. An acquaintance once stole my phone in my house and it took me a day to realise, because I knew it was at home and never thought he’d have taken it. So I had to pay the bill from the time he had it till the time I reported it; several hundred quid. (Insurance wouldn’t pay out on the phone either). The same would apply if it took you a few hours to report it while you were out. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815/60 "2013-05-11T13:51:24Z")
I’m surprised, too, but only because this is the same board that freaks out over using the same password on any two accounts, even low security ones. In real life, I’m aware that most people don’t lock the phones. It’s part of the planning fallacy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-lock-your-phone/657815.md?page=4)