Samsung One UI 9 Lock Screen Security: 13 Wrong Passwords Permanently Lock Device

Samsung is enhancing the lock screen security of One UI 9, which runs on Android 17. If a user enters the wrong password 13 times consecutively, the device will completely refuse further unlock attempts, and recovery is only possible through a factory reset, resulting in the loss of all unbacked-up data. In older versions of One UI, wrong passwords merely extended the waiting period without limiting the number of attempts, though an optional setting allowed data wiping after 15 consecutive failures.

Under One UI 9, the first five unlock attempts incur no waiting time. After five consecutive failures, a one-minute wait is required. The sixth failure triggers a five-minute wait, the seventh a 15-minute wait, the eighth a 30-minute wait, the ninth a 90-minute wait, the tenth a four-hour wait, the eleventh a 12-hour wait, and the twelfth a 24-hour wait. Upon the 13th failure, the system permanently locks, leaving a factory reset as the only option. The system also includes a smart counter that counts two consecutive identical wrong passwords as a single attempt.

Based on the cumulative lockout times, a user would need 42 hours and 21 minutes to attempt 13 entries, and entering the correct password before the permanent lock resets the counter to zero.