With the One UI 9.0 (Android 17) update, Samsung is making a big change to how often you’re allowed to enter an incorrect PIN, password, or pattern on your Galaxy smartphone, SamMobile has learned.
Samsung has greatly reduced the number of allowed unlock attempts. On the 13th failed attempt, your Galaxy device will be permanently locked and cannot be used again after performing a master reset.
A small change with big results
The company says the change is aimed at better protecting users from brute force attacks. Such attacks often involve someone repeatedly trying different PINs, passwords, or patterns in an attempt to gain unauthorized access to a device.
By reducing the number of failed attempts and enforcing longer blackout times between them, Samsung aims to make such attacks more difficult.
The new policy starts applying a temporary lockout after the fifth failed attempt. The waiting time increases gradually with each subsequent failure, from one minute after five incorrect attempts to 24 hours after the 12th failed attempt.
If the 13th attempt is also wrong, the device will lock you out permanently and require a factory reset.
The length of timeout based on the number of failed attempts is as follows:
| Number of failed attempts | Length of time off |
|---|---|
| 5 attempts | 1 minute |
| 6 attempts | 5 minutes |
| 7 attempts | 15 minutes |
| 8 attempts | 30 minutes |
| 9 attempts | 90 minutes |
| 10 attempts | 4 hours |
| 11 attempts | 12 hours |
| 12 attempts | 24 hours |
| 13 attempts | A permanent lock |
Samsung also notes that users who primarily unlock their phones with fingerprint or facial recognition should remember their backup PIN, password, or pattern.
That’s because Android requires these tokens to be installed periodically, such as after restarting the device or once every 72 hours. So forgetting them can eventually leave a factory reset as the only way to regain access to the device.
Your device will clearly show how many unlock attempts are left
Samsung says One UI 9 won’t leave you guessing. It will clearly show how many activation attempts you have left when you reach the warning limit. Samsung also says that entering the same incorrect information multiple times in a row will not count as separate failed attempts. That should help prevent users from being penalized for making the same mistake over and over again.
However, Samsung hasn’t clarified how the new policy will work if the phone somehow accidentally registers an input while it’s in a pocket or bag. A random touch could theoretically lead to an incorrect entry.
Galaxy phones already include accidental touch protection to reduce the chances of this happening, but it remains to be seen how well those protections will work under One UI 9’s strict policy. To be on the safe side, you may want to make sure that Accidental Touch Protection is enabled under Settings > Display.
Affects Galaxy devices launching with One UI 9.0 and later
Samsung lock screen security policy applies devices launched with One UI 9.0 loaded first, instead of all devices updated to One UI 9.
As of July 25, 2026, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip 8. We tested the One UI 9 beta on the Galaxy S26 and found that it does not include these changes.
It is not clear whether Samsung plans to extend the new policy to older Galaxy devices launched with an older version of One UI. However, if your device is eligible for One UI 9, it’s worth remembering this change and make sure you don’t forget your lock screen details.