Key Takeaways
- The latest Google Play Service beta now allows users to temporarily deactivate Extend Unlock more easily.
- Prior to the latest update, deactivating Extend Unlock required deleting trusted places.
- Trusted places, part of Extend Unlock, maintains phone security in specific locations for up to four hours.
Android phones are always getting new tools and features designed to improve their security toolkit. Extend Unlock is one of those features that first got introduced a decade ago in Android Lollipop (Android 5.0) and has persisted ever since. Designed to keep your phone unlocked when you’re in a specific location, such as your house or your work office, it is supposed to make it simpler to use your device whenever you’re comfortable in your surroundings. It doesn’t always work that way, however, and some people prefer to turn it off completely. Flipping the switch has now become a lot easier.
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As of the latest Google Play Service beta, we now see an already-reported on/off toggle within the Extend Unlock settings page. AssembleDebug on X has also reported that he has seen the update reflected on his phone; he was one of the first people to spot Google’s work on it months ago. Previously, users who wanted to turn off Extend Unlock had to delete every single location that they had listed as a “trusted place” to deactivate the feature, so this will certainly become handy for those who want to temporarily turn it off.
Trust the process
Trusted places is a tool within a feature in the case of Extend Unlock. As previously mentioned, it allows Android users to keep their phone unlocked in certain situations for up to four hours at a time, and it has some further smart features, like on-body detection. Extend Unlock requires phones running on Android 10 and up for full functionality.
There are a few “unlock” features related to Android smartphone security. Extend Unlock used to be named Smart Unlock, but it was rebranded relatively recently. Nearby Unlock was created in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in response to masks making face unlock a relatively useless tool. All of these are on-phone based security features and not physical smart locks that are designed to add security to your residence or business. On that topic, if you’re in the market for some of the best physical smart locks out there, we’ve got you covered.
