The screen lock is the first line of your Android security. It isn’t an impenetrable measure (a factory reset can bypass that), but it still shields up your device and makes it inaccessible to your friends or a jealous partner. Every Android has a standard screen locker that lets you lock your phone with a passcode, a pattern lock, or a four-digit PIN.
Manufacturers often equip their flagship mobile devices with their custom screen lock apps that are built into the system or make use of the already-available Android alternative. Albeit there is nothing wrong with standard lock screens, but other Android lock screen apps offer useful navigational features to let you instantly jump from one app or service to another, and also sport eye-catchy designs and patterns to make unlocking your phone a fun time.
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CM Locker
CM Locker is the most secure screen lock for mobile you can have. This app functions as a mini antivirus for Android as it is equipped with features that go beyond locking your phone’s homescreen or apps.
CM Locker lets you apply a pattern lock, PIN/passcode, or lock and unlock your phone using your fingerprint (when your device supports a fingerprint sensor). It sports a massive collection of lock screen themes to customize your phone’s appearance. Alongside themes, the app is pre-loaded with many charming wallpapers for your Android. Themes and wallpapers can have their settings adjusted and be automatically swapped each day.
As this screen lock for Android mainly focuses on adding extra security to your phone, it can be set to take a picture with the selfie camera when pattern or password to unlock your phone is applied numerous times. It can make your phone take a selfie even with a wrong, incorrect, code entry. You’ll always be seeing which of your friends is over-interested at accessing your privacy and also laugh at funny photos of you when you incorrectly swipe through the pattern unlock. Your birthday can be used to reset passcode or a new design in case you forget it.
There are shortcuts and toolbars that let you instantly swap through songs, open camera, enable flashlight, view recent apps and other recommended apps for Android, respond to social media messages without unlocking your phone, read the latest news online and offline, view your battery percentage, and if that’s not enough, see weather forecasts on your smartphone without unlocking it.
Go Locker
Go Locker is another alternative that provides you with a secure lock screen replacement. This app supports the gesture screen lock feature that lets you create your own unique way to lock your Android and quickly unlock it securely. You’ll have to create a geometrical figure by swiping your finger across your phone’s display. Just don’t create an over-complicated gesture that may be too difficult to be detected.
In addition to gesture locking, Go Locker, lets you lock and unlock your Android using a pattern, or PIN code. There’s an emergency screen unlocker that combines volume buttons or uses a pre-set password for you to unlock your smartphone’s screen when you forget the pattern or passcode. This feature should be enabled by checking in-app settings.
Go Locker themes and launchers can be found in the app’s theme store section. They usually are downloadable extensions that can be found on the Play Store.
Go Locker lets you personalize your Android by displaying weather forecasts, scheduled events, and delivering notifications. It also lets you swap through Android launchers and has a built-in music player app in case you need a new one.
Knock Lock
Knock Lock offers the maximum security a lock screen app can provide. It also comes with different features from other similar apps and is a two-in-one screen locker app for smartphones. It lets you lock the screen and also functions as an applock for Android by enabling you to protect with a passcode single apps.
Knock Lock’s most distinguishable feature is its classic Knock Lock screen locker that uses the combination of A, B, C, and D letters for creating a passcode. It actually is the only way of locking and unlocking your phone for free, but you may gain access to most of its pro features by watching a 30-sec video advertorial. The pro features will be available for 30 days.
The second locking type Knock Lock uses is called Time Lock. The way this works is by allowing you to select two numbers and the time when you want to have access to your phone. For example, if you chose the numbers 1 and 2 and at the moment you want to unlock your phone the time is 21:20, then your passcode is 122120. This is a great way to create a password that changes with time and the information to getting it right is known only by you. Probably the most innovative and smart way of adding extra security to the content on your smartphone.
The other two ways of locking and unlocking your Android phone with Knock Lock consist of passcode and pattern lock.
Knock Lock separates its features into two sections, in one side are placed the screenlock features and supports while on the other hand are the app lock features. You can move through them with a swipe. All four locking types are supported and you may have different lock types for each of them.
There are some widgets for Android coming with the app that consists of various time formats, weather, and a security feature that takes selfie shots when the passcode to unlock your phone is misapplied multiple times.
LokLok
Lok Lok is not the most secure screen lock app. In fact, you don’t really have any added security to your device by making this app the lock screen app of choice. But it indeed is the most entertaining screen widget for your phone.
For the LokLok app to have its entire functions enabled, your friends should be involved. You can invite friends by linking your Facebook account to the app or by sending them a notification via email. Once you get your friends to download it, you can draw messages on a lock screen and send them to your friends. They’ll see your customized (and maybe hilarious) lock screen message and can either keep it or modify it and send it back to you. You may also use the app as a widget for your phone or as a brand new social network to communicate with your friends.
Hi Locker
Hi Locker is another high-security and engaging screen locker app for Android. It sports a material design and has three styles of lock screen: classic, Lollipop, and iOS. There’s a built-in feature that allows you to set customized greetings for yourself to see when you want to unlock your phone, quickly view any upcoming event, and experience automated wallpaper changes.
Hi Locker supports phone locking via pattern, PIN, and fingerprint for devices that have the sensor mounted on them. It allows you to quickly set up notifications by turning on and off notifications for each of the installed apps. It also shows weather forecasts, changes the clock style and allows users to pre-set shortcut for various apps on the screen that can bypass the password for instant access.
Applock
Applock apps are a little different from apps that prevent access to content in your phone by locking the screen, they rather focus on locking single or a group of apps where your most sensitive information is stored. Unlocking your phone every time you have to use it may turn out to become an annoying experience, thus, locking out only parts of the content in your device makes more sense.
With Applock you can make password-accessible everything that’s installed on your phone. Not only that you can password-protect social media apps and emails but also photos, videos, browsers, contacts, call logs, notes, games, file manager apps and more. As you probably know where your most sensitive documents and files are, will be more convenient for you to just lock those particular folders up rather than typing a passcode whenever your phone’s screen goes off.
Applock also lets you upload private photos and videos in the vault section where will be securely guarded, access the Internet via a browser in incognito mode, and manage multiple social media accounts from this app. It supports pattern and passcode locking, and there is an intruder selfie option to shoot an image using the front camera whenever there are numerous failed attempts to access any of the locked apps or when someone attempts to open the app its self.
IObit Applock
IObit Applock is yet another two-in-one screen lock and app lock pro app. It enables its users to lock the screen on Android devices and as well as locking installed applications. But this app brings something more innovative than pattern or password screen locking; it lets you unlock your Android with your face.
IObit brings various security measures to ensure your privacy. Its first line of defense is the lock screen feature that includes pattern and password. The AI extension adds more to the screen lock by enabling the face lock and a fake fingerprint unlocking feature for Android phones that not necessarily must have a fingerprint sensor mounted on them. Though many apps have a phony fingerprint phone locker alternative, the one in IObit doesn’t act as a false warning to prevent access to your phone. The way it works is that it lets you swipe from two different angles with your two fingers towards the center and use that as a passcode. Whoever will be trying to access files on your phone will be fooled to keep their finger pressed in the middle of the phone’s screen. There’s an intruder selfie option to shoot images of intruders attempting to access your device.
Regarding applock features, IObit app not only that prevents access to any of your installed apps but also lets you select apps to stop them displaying notifications on the screen while your phone is locked. You’ll still be able to get those notifications once you unlock your device.
You also get a good bunch of themes and wallpapers for your phone to grant it a better look.
Gesture Lock Screen
As its name suggests, the Gesture Lock Screen app allows you to draw a gesture on your phone and use that as a security measure to lock a smartphone. It can be any kind of drawing and to make sure you don’t get in trouble for forgetting the unlocking gesture you can create a recovery 4-git PIN to change the gesture.
The app also enables you to customize the screen by adding shortcuts and widgets, change the background color and it also snaps selfies at intruders that attempt to unlock your Android.
LOCKit
LOCKit is one of the top app lock apps for Android that protects apps, has a photo and video vault to keep all your images and clips safe with a password. It also can be used as a screen lock, junk cleaner, and notification manager app.
Lock It upon installations locks your social media app with a pattern or PIN. You can later add more apps to the security queue. Images and videos should be manually added to the vault index for an extra layer of protection. Although just locking the gallery app of your phone will already password-protect all your imagery and video clips.
The app also lets you scan apps for privacy violations just like any regular antivirus does and comes with an extensive collection of themes to style your phone’s screen. The attack selfie snapper adds more to its total privacy protection functions.
Voice Lock Screen
Voice Lock Screen brings yet another innovative and simplified way to secure your Android. It lets you lock the screen of your phone using a voice command, that voice passcode will then be used to unlock the screen of your phone whenever you want to use it.
As an alternative phone lock and a voice command recovery in case you forget what you spoke to the microphone when changing the passcode, you can set up a four-digit PIN. The PIN code can be used along the voice command all the times. This screen lock app also features various background photos to adjust how your phone’s look.
Gallery Lock
This app is one of the best tools you can use to lock everything that’s in your phone’s gallery. Gallery Lock App comes with a pre-loaded password that’s made of four sevens (7777) and some folders. You may edit existing or add new folders as per your requirements and needs.
To make your images and videos disappear from your phone’s storage, you should tap on any of the auto-generated folders or on any of those you created yourself and then press the ‘Add photo/video’ widget at the bottom of the screen. You can swap through folders and directories where your imagery and filming gallery is located to add particular or entire folders into a safe zone. The secured images, videos, or folders will not appear on your phone’s storage and as well as on your file manager app of choice.
Images and videos you add to the Gallery Lock can only be accessed via the Gallery Lock app. You can access those files using a password or a pattern lock. Besides using this app for creating a safe zone for your gallery items, you may also use it as an Android file backup app alternative. Gallery Lock does not only secures items from your phone’s storage or SD card but as well as from the cloud. It supports and can sync data from Google Drive or Dropbox.
Video Lock
The video locker app lets you easily hide videos in a secure and inaccessible location within your phone’s storage. It can be paired with another Photo Locker app made by the same developers that together secure photos and videos in the same way. Offering a similar service to that of Gallery locker app.
Video lock and Photo lock apps both work in the same way, and they offer two forms of hiding image and video content: by adding them manually from the app(s) or by utilizing the share button on single files from your gallery or file manager. The security involves a password, and you can make selected images and videos disappear from the gallery or file manager or make entire folders where photos and video clips are located to stop showing up.
In case you forget your Video Locker password, your email will be used to reset it.
AcDisplay
AcDisplay is an app that primarily focuses on simplifying notification management on Android phones. It lets users optimize and better-manage apps and notifications by minimizing tasks and creating different app shortcuts. Screen locker is part of AcDisplay app, and it enriches its complete features and supports. Unfortunately, the lockscreen feature on AcDisplay is still in beta and it may not always work smoothly.
Keypad Lock Screen
Keypad Lock Screen is a light and straightforward app that enables you to lock your smartphone using a password or pattern. It doesn’t have much of advanced features though. Some additional features of it consist of a wallpaper changer, time format change, and sound adjustments.
Next Lock Screen
Next Lock Screen is not just another lock screen app for Android but is an Android personalization app with rich features to customize your phone’s screen, moderate notifications, view weather reports, and much more. As this thread is dedicated entirely to screen locks, let’s just bypass everything else and focus primarily on features related to the on-screen security provided by this application.
Next app for Android supports password and pattern screen locker methods. It automatically changes wallpaper on your phone by displaying each day the Bing wallpaper of the day. It also lets you adjust notifications regarding weather reports, alarms, missed calls, text messages, meetings, and app notifications. Microsoft Next app also has its own Android launcher for you to change the outlook for your device.