What Android shows you by itself
Very little. Standard Android does not keep a list of failed unlock attempts. After several wrong tries it makes the person wait, and after many more it may require your Google account or erase the phone, depending on your settings. It does not record the time, and it does not take a photo.
Some phone makers add an intruder photo option in their own settings, so check your phone's security settings first. If there is nothing there, an app that watches for wrong unlocks is the way to do it.
Set up Alert24's intruder alert
The intruder alert takes a silent front-camera photo after a chosen number of wrong device unlocks, then sounds the alarm until the correct unlock is entered. It needs three things: the camera, device administrator access, and a Google sign-in.
- 1
Install Alert24 and set your app PIN
Get Alert24 from Google Play, choose your language, and create a passcode, pattern or knock code. This locks the app itself so nobody can turn the intruder alert off. The getting started guide covers the whole first run.
- 2
Open Intruders Pictures and switch on the intruder alert
From the menu, open Intruders Pictures and turn on the Intruder Alert switch. The app asks for the camera if you have not granted it yet.
- 3
Allow device administrator
Android only tells an app about failed screen unlocks if that app is a device administrator. Alert24 asks for it here and Android shows its own confirmation screen. While it is active, Alert24 cannot be uninstalled without first removing it in Settings, which is the point: a snooper cannot quietly delete the app. Read what this permission does and does not allow in every permission explained.
- 4
Sign in with Google
The intruder alert needs a Google sign-in so the photos can be backed up to your account. Only you, signed in to that account, can see them.
- 5
Choose the number of attempts
Set Pin Attempts to 1, 2 or 3. One attempt catches everything, including your own typos. Three is a good balance: the photo is taken on the third wrong unlock.
What a capture looks like
When the limit is reached, the front camera takes a photo without a flash or a shutter sound. The phone then sounds the alarm, with flash and vibration if you enabled them, until the correct screen unlock is entered.
The photo is saved on the phone with the type Device Intruders, the time, and, if location is allowed, the address and a small map. Open it from Intruders Pictures and tap View in Maps to see exactly where it happened. You can delete any photo; deleting it also removes the copy in your account.
- Photo, time and place for each wrong-unlock event
- Photos grouped by what triggered them: device, app, alarm, remote
- Same photo appears in Remote Access if you use Alert24 on another device
Phone Access Snap: for the person who knows your PIN
A partner, a flatmate or a colleague may already know your PIN. A wrong-unlock photo never fires for them. Phone Access Snap covers this case: it takes a front-camera snap on every successful unlock, groups the snaps by face, and shows when each session started, ended and how long it lasted.
You mark your own face as me once, and every other group is someone else. These snaps stay on the phone only. They are never uploaded, so they are not visible from Remote Access or a browser.
Phone Access Snap needs the same device administrator access as the intruder alert. It does not need a Google sign-in.
Talk before you accuse: reading the evidence
A photo tells you who was holding the phone when the wrong PIN went in. It does not tell you why. A child playing, a friend trying to check the time, and a colleague moving your phone off a desk all look the same in a photo. Look at the time and place, then ask calmly.
If the photos show a pattern, such as the same person at the same time each day, that is worth a direct conversation. If they show a stranger, you have a face, a time and a place to give to the police.
Photos of the alarm overlay's wrong-PIN attempts and photos of failed app unlocks work the same way. They are in the same gallery, filtered by type.
Make it harder to get in at all
- Use a six-digit PIN or a long pattern for the screen lock, and keep the app lock different from it.
- Turn on a short screen timeout so the phone locks quickly when you put it down.
- Hide notification content on the lock screen so messages cannot be read without unlocking.
- Lock Alert24 itself behind its own app lock so the intruder alert cannot be switched off.
- Arm the Don't Touch My Phone alarm when you leave the phone on a desk or table.
Frequently asked questions
Does the person know a photo was taken?
The photo itself is silent and uses no flash. The alarm that follows is not silent: the phone rings, and can flash and vibrate, until the correct unlock is entered. If you want a quiet record instead of an alarm, use Phone Access Snap.
Can I see the photo from another phone?
Yes for intruder photos, when you are signed in with Google. They appear in Remote Access on another phone or at alert24.in. Phone Access Snap images stay on the phone only.
Why does it need device administrator?
Android only reports failed screen unlocks to a device administrator app. Alert24 uses that one event. It does not use device administrator to lock, wipe or change your phone remotely.
Where are the photos stored?
On the phone, in the app's private storage, and, when you are signed in, backed up to your Google account so only you can see them. Deleting a photo in the app removes both copies.
Will it photograph me when I mistype my own PIN?
Yes, if you reach the attempt limit. That is normal. Delete the photo and, if it happens often, raise the limit to three attempts.
Know who picked up your phone
The intruder photo is free in Alert24. Install it, set your PIN and switch on the intruder alert in a couple of minutes.