Samsung Galaxy S25 PIN Warning

Samsung Galaxy Users Beware: New PIN Rule

Samsung is currently working on the new version of its operating system, One UI 9, which is based on Android 17. The manufacturer has announced a significant change relating to unlocking the device: in future, users will only have 13 attempts to unlock their smartphone using a PIN. After this, that’s it – the device will no longer let users in.

The only way to continue using the phone after that would be to reset it to factory settings, which would result in the loss of all data (unless you have anything backed up to cloud storage). In doing so, Samsung is going one step further than Google has planned for Android 17, where 20 attempts are allowed. It’s worth noting that this refers to the total number of possible PIN entries. After a prolonged waiting period, the count of incorrect entries is not reset.

Timing is Everything

Another change concerns the time intervals between individual failed attempts. After five failed attempts, you must wait one minute before you can enter your PIN again. After six attempts, the wait is five minutes; after seven, 15 minutes; after eight, 30 minutes; and after nine, 90 minutes. If you reach ten failed attempts, you’ll have to wait a full four hours before you can try again. One more failed attempt and the wait increases to 12 hours. After 12 failed attempts, you’ll have to wait 24 hours before you can make your final attempt, so there are plenty of warnings and time to think.

For example, if you have a Samsung Galaxy S25, you will need to be careful not to forget your PIN, as you will only have 13 attempts to get it right. If you also use an Apple Watch Series 10 or an iPad Air M2, you may want to consider using a similar PIN or password to avoid confusion.

Additional Features in One UI 9

Incidentally, this isn’t the only new feature that OneUI 9 will bring. Samsung users will also get a new internet display feature, which will provide more information about their internet usage. This feature will be available on all Samsung Galaxy devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S25, Samsung Galaxy Note 30, and Samsung Galaxy Tab S10.