A premium smartphone like your #Samsung Galaxy #S8 comes with a price so it is just fitting you set up its security features to protect not just your device but your files and data saved in it. Your new phone comes with several security features you can use to prevent others from accessing and using the device when you’re not around and in this post, I will walk you through in setting them up.
In this post I will walk you through in setting up some of the security measures that are pre-installed on your Galaxy S8 with the anti-theft being the first one on the list. Continue reading to know more about this feature and why it needs to be enabled the moment you get your hands on the phone.
The second is about how you enable screen locks, which is the first layer of security any user would encounter once enabled. The next is all about additional security features of your phone which includes the new iris and fingerprint scanners. Below are the list of the sections you can find in this post, just click on the link to immediately jump to a specific tutorial.
- How to turn on / off Samsung Galaxy S8 Anti-theft security feature
- How to enable device lock on your Samsung Galaxy S8
- How to setup Samsung Galaxy S8 security features
- How to SIM unlock your Samsung Galaxy S8
But before we jump right into our tutorials, if you happen to find this page because you own the same device but are looking for a solution to a different issue, then try to visit our Galaxy S8 troubleshooting page for we have already answered hundreds of issues reported by our readers before. Find ones that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need further assistance, contact us by simply filling up our Android issues questionnaire.
How to turn on / off Samsung Galaxy S8 Anti-theft security feature
In an event that you lost your phone, anybody who could actually do the master reset to gain access to the device and use it. The reset will, of course, delete all your files and data but they’re not important to other people, aren’t they?
When the anti-theft is enabled, the phone will locked out when master reset is performed thus, preventing others from using it because the phone will be stuck on a black screen that even a thousand reboots and resets can’t do something to unlock it. That being said, this is how you turn this feature on…
- If a Google ID has already been set up (ex. Email, Play store, Chrome, etc.) and a Pattern, Pin, Password, Fingerprint or Iris lock has been enabled, anti-theft has been activated automatically.
- If a Google ID has not been set up yet, then sign up for an account. After signing into a Google ID, a Pattern, Pin, Password, Facial recognition, Fingerprint or Iris lock will need to be set up to turn on Anti-theft.
The Anti-theft feature won’t work if you perform the Factory reset because you couldn’t do the latter without first unlocking the screen and going to the settings menu.
To turn off the device anti-theft, you will have to sign out of your Google ID on the device and elect to not sign in with a Google ID into any Google services. Once you sign in with a Google ID to any service and setup a Pattern, Pin, Password, Fingerprint or Iris lock, you are automatically turning on anti-theft.
To sign out of your Google ID, follow these steps:
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
- Tap Accounts.
- Tap Google.
- Tap on your Google ID email address if multiple accounts are setup. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
- Tap 3 dot icon.
- Tap Remove account.
- Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.
How to enable device lock on your Samsung Galaxy S8
In this section, you will learn how to setup a password, PIN and other screen lock types on your phone. It’s very important that you know how to do this since it provides not just immediate security to your phone but also enables the anti-theft feature.
Change Password / PIN
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap Settings > Lock screen and security.
- Tap Screen lock type.
- If you currently have a Password or PIN setup, enter it.
- Tap Password or PIN.
- Choose your password or PIN.
- Verify your password or PIN.
- Tap OK.
Turn on / off screen lock
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap Settings > Lock screen and security.
- Tap Screen lock type.
- Tap one of the following options:
- Swipe
- Pattern
- PIN
- Password
- None
- Face
- Fingerprint
- Irises
- Follow the on-screen instructions to set up the desired screen lock option.
If you’ve signed with your Google ID and have enabled one of these screen locks, then the anti-theft feature will automatically come into play.
How to setup Samsung Galaxy S8 security features
Below are the three scanners you can enjoy with your device, namely; face recognition, fingerprint and iris scanners. The last one, however, is a tutorial on how to secure your folders.
Face recognition
This additional layer of security scans the owner’s face to gain access to your device and its features. You can only save on face scan that the phone may use to recognize the face of the person trying to use it. Head gears and glasses may affect the accuracy of the face scan so be sure to remove those when setting it up.
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap Settings > Lock screen and security > Face Recognition.
- If you have set up a PIN, enter it and tap NEXT.
- Choose from the following:
- Remove face data
- Face unlock (ON/OFF)
- Face unlock when screen…(ON/OFF)
Fingerprint scanner
This layer of security has already been with the Galaxy devices for at least three years and while previous devices have issues scanning prints, the Galaxy S8 fortunately does it better. You can setup multiple scans of your fingers for accuracy but make sure there are no obstacles and that your fingers are clean when trying to save fingerprints.
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap Settings > Lock screen and security > Fingerprint.
- If you have set up a PIN, enter it then complete the Fingerprint scan.
- Tap TURN ON.
- Adjust the following settings:
- Add fingerprint to add additional scans.
- Web sign-in [On/Off]
- Verify Samsung Account [On/Off]
- Use with Samsung Pay [On/Off]
- Fingerprint unlock [On/Off]
Iris scanner
An Iris scan provides up to 200x protection over a PIN or password. When setting up the Iris scan, always hold the device 8 inches away, stare at the device screen, not the LED light and remove any screen protectors. Read through the Disclaimer for more details.
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap Settings > Lock screen and security > Iris Scanner.
- If you have set up a PIN, enter it then complete the Iris scan.
- Adjust the following settings:
- My Irises
- Mask on preview screen
- Web sign-in [On/Off]
- Verify Samsung Account [On/Off]
- Iris unlock [On/Off]
- To read the Disclaimer, tap the 3 dots icon > Disclaimer.
Secure folder
Lock your contents and apps by setting up a Secure folder. Secure folder works with your Samsung Account.
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap Settings > Lock screen and security > Secure folder.
- Setup the Lock type [Pattern, PIN, Password, Fingerprints, Irises].
- Once the password has been setup, the Secure Folder is created.
- Move in the apps you want to keep in the Folder.
How to SIM unlock your Samsung Galaxy S8
- Determine if devices are eligible to be unlocked or you may call your provider about it.
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray, tap the folder then tap Device Unlock.
- Tap Continue.
- Wait while the device connects to the server.
- Choose the desired device unlock type:
- Permanent Unlock
- Temporary Unlock( Temporary unlocks must be performed with a mobile data connection. Wi-Fi will not work)
- Wait while the device requests the unlock.
- If successful, restart the device to apply the settings.
- Permanent Success
- Temporary Success
- If you do not restart the device, you will have a persistent alert in the notification tray.
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I recently purchased galaxy s8 phone.
My shopping app requires a scanner.
The scanner only scans two to three items at a time before you have to back all the way out of the app and rescan. Which is frustrating when you have several items to scan.
Do you have the solution
My secure folder on galaxy s8 is locked and It is now saying” Unauthorised software is installed on your phone. Secure folder has been locked to prevent unauthorised access. How do I fix this so I can access my secure folder?
how to open SAMSUNG S 8+ FROM SAMSUNG SECURITY LOCK
Can the thief do this?
1. Wait for the phone to run out of battery.
2. Charge the phone, then boot it to download.
3. Coonect to PC, run odin and install stock firmware.
4. walla! “new” phone.
I just had a weird problem with my S8. When I got it 2 weeks ago, I set it up so that it could be unlocked with both a pin and a fingerprint. I also set it to stay unlocked at home, plus in my car when connected to the car audio system via bluetooth. Then I set the smart lock so that the phone is locked instantly with the power key, or 2 minutes after the screen shuts off.
This has worked fine for 2 weeks. Today I noticed that the phone quit prompting me for a pin or fingerprint after I had supposedly locked it with the power key. It didn’t lock automatically 2 minutes after the screen went dark either. I was miles from my house and not near my car, so it should have been locked. I double-checked the settings and nothing had been changed. I was able to fix the problem with a simple restart, but I don’t feel very confident about the locking feature if it can get disabled without warning.