The PIN of your Android device should not be shared with others (trusted family members are an exception of course) as once they have it, they can access everything stored on your phone. An additional security layer to protecting your personal content would be to set an always-changing pin on Android, and there’s an app that makes this very simple.
The idea of an always-changing PIN goes like this: the PIN changes using a pattern only you know about. DroidLock is a new app that can automatically change the PIN based on current battery percentage, time, date or a combination of these criteria.
Set an always-changing PIN on Android
Before we go ahead and proceed with installing DroidLock you should know it is currently only available as an APK, so you need to have ‘Unknown Sources’ enabled on your device in order to install it (you can find the options in Settings -> ‘Security’ or ‘Lock screen and security’). Also, your device needs to run on Android 4.0 or newer and have the PIN lock already configured.
With that said, let’s see how you can set an always-changing PIN on Android. Droidlock can be installed from the link below:
Download DroidLock (.apk)
The first things you’ll need to do after you launch the app is going through a setup guide. You’ll be prompted to set a master PIN that can be used to unlock your phone after a restart and to access DroidLock.
Also, you’ll have to create a security question and answer, and fill in an email address for recovery purposes. Once you enable DroidLock as a Device Administrator you should be good to go, unless your device is running Android 6.0 or a newer version in which case you need to grant the app a few more permissions.
On DroidLock’s main screen, enable the app’s main service by toggling the switch in the upper-right corner of the screen. Now you can finally choose a method for your always-changing pin.
The Time PIN has a few customizable parameters although only the time format is available in the free app. The other options can be unlocked by purchasing the pro version via a $2.51 IAP.
Alternatively, you can opt for the current date or battery level as the rule for your changing PIN, and those who purchase the pro version can use the Geek tab to create their own rules using one or more of the available criteria.
If you installed DroidLock, you might have noticed the add-ons tab is also a premium feature, but useful nonetheless. It offers several options to make your PIN even more secure, like mirroring the numbers, doubling values, and reversing the PIN.
With all these settings in place you have finally set an always-changing pin on Android and you can start making use of it. Be aware that after the first time you setup the app, and after each reboot you will need to use the master PIN to unlock your device.
Other than that, your PIN will keep changing based on the rules you selected in the app. If you chose the time-based PIN, check the time before entering it and type that in. The same goes for the battery-based PIN, in which case you’ll have to enter the current battery level percentage twice.
While DroidLock makes your PIN dynamic, it doesn’t bring any other changes to the lock screen or other areas of the system. So you can keep all of your other settings and customizations while enjoying your more secure PIN.
Have you tried DroidLock and are you interested in the methods it provides for securing the PIN of your Android device? Do you think there’s anything that could make the app better? Share your thoughts in the comments section and don’t forget to follow us on  Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to stay up to date with the latest apps, games, guides and everything Android, iOS and Windows Phone.
