Android 14 will make it more difficult for someone to spy on your PIN – Android

In this way, they can not only unlock the mobile phone, but also steal the identity of its owner. The new change in Android 13 QPR3 Beta 2 and Android 14 will make it more difficult for these attacks to reach their target. According to the site XDA Developers, the latest Android 13 QPR3 Beta 2 Release has a new setting that disables the effect when a number or key is pressed when entering a PIN (or password) on the keyboard. This new setting can be found in Settings > Security & privacy > Device lock > Enhanced PIN privacy (Settings > Security & privacy > Device lock > Enhanced PIN privacy).

When this setting is enabled, you will not see the animation that normally occurs when you tap a number on the lock screen keyguard. This seemingly simple but effective change makes it difficult for anyone to discern or understand the number you pressed.

according to A recent study Per The Wall Street Journal, more and more of these (shoulder surfing) attacks are happening. By looking behind the victim’s back, observing the phone’s screen, thieves can see which keys were pressed, making it easy to not only unlock the phone, but also to gain full access and understanding of the phone’s owner’s Google or Samsung account. Thus, they can easily access any data of credit cards, accounts, payment applications, etc. The Wall Street Journal report states that iPhone users are the primary victims of such attacks, though Android phone owners are equally at risk. This new change in Android 13 QPR3 Beta 2 will make the lives of criminals and thieves more difficult. Keep in mind that smartphone manufacturers usually don’t incorporate changes into “QPR” builds so you may have to wait until your smartphone manufacturer releases the major version of Android 14. The latter is expected to roll out sometime in August 2023 with Android taking Device manufacturers a few more months to make it available for their devices.