One UI 9 Will Permanently Lock Your Galaxy Phone After 13 Wrong PIN Attempts

Samsung is tightening lock screen security in One UI 9 and the changes could catch users off guard. According to Samsung's own support documentation, devices running One UI 9 will now permanently lock after 13 consecutive failed unlock attempts, at which point the only way back in is a full factory reset.

Rather than a flat cutoff, the South Korean brand has built in a progressive lockout system to slow down brute-force attempts of unlocking Samsung phones:

Failed Attempts	Lockout Duration
5	1 minute
6	5 minutes
7	15 minutes
8	30 minutes
9	90 minutes
10	4 hours
11	12 hours
12	24 hours
13	Permanent lock (factory reset required)

Samsung says this protects user data against brute-force attacks, where someone repeatedly guesses PIN, pattern, or password combinations. To reduce inconvenience for genuine users, the system also shows warnings on remaining attempts. Moreover, entering the same wrong password twice in a row won't count as two separate failures.

Also, it's important to note that biometrics won't save you in this case. Even if you primarily unlock via fingerprint or face recognition, Android's security framework still requires a backup PIN, pattern, or password at least once every 72 hours.

Now, that backup credential is what ultimately counts toward this lockout policy, so it's worth remembering even if you rarely type it in.

Samsung says it cannot remotely view or recover local lock screen credentials. If genuinely forgotten, a factory reset is the only option, which will also require signing back in with your Samsung and Google accounts to clear Factory Reset Protection.

Since a reset wipes unbacked-up data, Samsung recommends regular backups via Samsung Cloud or Smart Switch.

This feature on the One UI 9 update is a notably stricter approach than previous One UI versions, offering stronger protection against unauthorised access to lost or stolen devices.

However, it also means that repeatedly entering the wrong PIN, pattern or password, even by accident, such as a child playing with your phone, could trigger a factory reset. So, it's more important than ever to remember your lock screen credentials.