Biometric authentication (i.e., face or fingerprint scans) is awesome. It's convenient, as it's often faster to scan your face than to punch in a code, and secure, since you can't "guess" someone's fingerprint. In most cases, the move from PIN-only to biometric as the default was a win-win for everyone. However, it's not perfect. Biometric authentication is secure in the event someone runs off with your phone, but if you're still present when another person has control of your phone, the situation gets more dicey. All someone has to do is hold your phone up to your face, and they're in.
One UI's "Lockdown mode" is an imperfect solution
Galaxy devices do have a workaround here: Lockdown mode. This option disables biometric authentication until you enter your PIN, so you can prevent any forced scans, which you might think solves the security issue. But, again, this isn't perfect. Lockdown mode is an option in your Galaxy device's power menu, which means it takes a few steps to activate: You have to long-press the power button, find the Lockdown mode icon, then tap it. That works when you're anticipating a security situation—say, when you're about to go through customs at the airport—but when you don't see it coming, and only have a few seconds to protect your phone, this isn't ideal.
iPhones have a solution: bake Lockdown mode's core function into the power menu itself. If you pull up the iPhone's power menu equivalent, you've immediately disabled biometric authentication. When you try to unlock your iPhone next, you won't be able to scan your face to enter. Instead, you'll see the PIN keypad, with a message that reads: "Your passcode is required to enable Face ID." It's a small difference, but one that has real security implications.
As reported by Android Authority, Samsung is introducing a similar experience to Galaxy devices. With the second One UI 9 beta, Samsung changed the way the power menu operates. Previously, when you pull up the power menu, you have the option to exit back to the last-opened app. You can choose Lockdown mode, but you don't have to, of course. As of this beta, however, the power menu behaves just like iOS': Once you enter it, you'll need to re-enter your PIN in order to unlock your phone next. Your last-used app will still open, but now, only after you've entered your PIN.
What do you think so far?
As mentioned, this feature made its debut with the second One UI 9 beta. As such, it's still in testing, and there are no guarantees it will ship with the official version of One UI 9. If you want to try it (and any other One UI 9 features) now, you'll need to enroll your Galaxy device in the One UI beta program. Note that if you choose to install the beta, you may encounter unexpected bugs or glitches that could result in data loss. Make sure to back up your device and its data before enrolling in the beta program.
