We’ve got another useful app to talk about today which we really think fans of Android should check out: it’s called Unlock with WiFi and it keeps your phone unlocked when you’re at home, and connected to Wi-Fi.
Tired of entering your PIN code/unlock gesture again and again yet you want to keep your phone secure? Well, we’ve got a tweak on Android for that.
Developed by Ben Hirashima, Unlock with WiFi keeps your phone unlocked while you’re at home so you can use your Android smartphone without having to unlock it with a PIN code / unlock pattern every time you want to check a freshly-arrived notification.
I personally found this to be spectacularly useful since I keep a complex unlock pattern to maintain security; this is only because I don’t want anyone to access my phone without my permission. However, when I’m at home, there is no one except me who actually uses the phone so having to unlock it every time can be a bit of an annoyance which, thankfully, is a thing of the past thanks to Unlock with WiFi.
Once you’ve downloaded and installed the app, you launch it and add your home/office Wi-Fi network. After adding the desired network, the app gets enabled automatically and, well, that’s just about it. As soon as you leave the added network, you’ll have to unlock your phone by entering the PIN code or unlock pattern.
From Android Market:
Unlock With WiFi unlocks your phone when you’re connected to your home WiFi network. What does “unlock” mean? It means you don’t have to enter your password/pattern/PIN when you turn on your phone. When you’re at home, or work, you don’t need to worry about losing your phone, so why should you have to enter your password?
How does it work?
When you get home and connect to your WiFi network, your device will unlock. Then when you leave, and the WiFi disconnects, the device will lock again. You have to enter your password the first time after you connect to your WiFi network. This is so that if someone steals or finds your phone, they can’t just bring it to your house to unlock it. After you enter your password once while connected to your WiFi network, you won’t have to enter it again until you leave/disconnect. This is great for SMS texting!
We’ve personally tested the app on a Samsung Galaxy S II and can confirm that it works as advertised.
Unlock with Wi-Fi is available for free as well as in paid form. The free version only allows one Wi-Fi network to be added while this limit is lifted from the paid version meaning you can add as many Wi-Fi networks as you want.
If you use battery-saving apps like JuiceDefender, Green Power etc. then this will not work due to some compatibility issues.
Download Unlock with Wifi Free [Market Link]
Download Unlock with Wifi Paid [Market Link]
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