Your Android screen lock, such as your PIN, pattern, or password, does more than keep others from opening your device. It also secures your most private data, including your saved passwords or location history, using end-to-end encryption. Learn how to set your screen lock.
How your screen lock protects your data
When you use features that store private data, your device uses your screen lock to protect it before it is backed up to the cloud.
Here’s how it works:
- Your device locks the data: When you use certain private features in Google services, your Android device uses your screen lock to secure and encrypt your data.
- Your encrypted data is safely stored: The encrypted data is saved to Google's secure online storage. This lets you restore your information if you lose your phone or switch to a new device.
- Important: Google can’t read your data. Your PIN, pattern, or password stays on your device and is not shared with Google services online. Because only your screen lock can unlock the data, no one except you can read or unlock your data.
- Restore your data: When you sign in to your Google Account or try to access your data, you may be asked to enter the screen lock of your current or previous device to unlock, view and restore your data.
Protect Google services & data
Several Google services leverage your Android screen lock to encrypt your data, including:
- Google Password Manager: Protects your saved usernames, passwords, and passkeys.
- Google Maps: Protects your Timeline backups (your saved location history).
- Find Hub: Protects location data used by Find Hub to help you locate your lost devices and accessories.
- Android Security: Protects system logs that help detect security issues or unauthorized access on your device (intrusion logging).
- Google Account: Protects your identity to help you sign in or recover your account if you lose access.
If you choose not to use these features, this encrypted data will not be backed up to Google servers.
When to enter your screen lock
You may be prompted to enter your Android PIN, pattern, or password in these situations:
- Setting up a new Android phone, tablet, or device.
- Signing in to your Google Account on another device.
- Using or turning on a protected service (such as saving your passwords or passkeys in Password Manager or enabling Maps Timeline) for the first time on a device.
- Restoring your backed-up data after resetting or replacing a device.
Important: While you create and manage your screen lock on an Android device, you may still be asked to enter it when using other platforms, to verify your identity and unlock encrypted data. For example:
- Signing in to Google Password Manager on a web browser on your computer.
- Accessing protected Google services through an app on an iPhone or iPad.
How Google stores and deletes your screen lock information
To protect your privacy, Google does not store or have access to your Android screen lock (PIN, pattern, or password). Instead, your device saves an encrypted version of your screen lock information inside Google’s secure hardware. This encrypted information verifies your identity.
Google permanently deletes this encrypted information after 180 days of inactivity (if your device does not connect to Google), or immediately if you delete your Google Account.