cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/59800690

How to prevent your phone from being opened forcefully

Hello everyone, I'm hoping to gain some insight regarding a privacy concern. I'm always mindful of the possibility that my biometric fingerprint, which I use regularly, could be accessed by someone if I were compelled to use it. For context, I'm not a criminal or particularly tech-savvy, and I'm relatively new to the world of privacy and FOSS applications. I currently use a Samsung phone. I've found that enabling Lockdown mode at night without needing to restart my device prevents anyone from accessing my phone while I sleep. However, my concern stems from a different scenario. Recently, while shopping, I experienced a sudden medical episode and lost consciousness for about ten minutes. During that time, shopkeepers assisted me. I'm worried that in such a vulnerable state, if someone were to misuse my biometric data, they could gain access to all my passwords and personal information, which feels unsafe. While I do value the convenience of biometrics, I'm seeking alternative solutions. Is there a way to prevent my phone from being opened using my fingerprint, even in urgent situations, without completely disabling biometric authentication?
Thanks in advance.

Good question! That's exactly one of the major issues with biometric authentication. And there's no way around it. You need a second factor. Configure your phone so it only unlocks if you also input something you know. Like a password or pin.

Under certain circumstances, the police here in Germany are allowed to use force to unlock my cell phone with my finger. Since I learned this, I have started using a PIN again.

If the person passes out, chances are there wasn't time to do it. Personally, I second hendrik's suggestion of setting up 2FA, like his given example, biometric+pin.