Jack Wallen walks you through the steps to get into your Android phone if you've forgotten your security pattern.

Your Android lock screen pattern isn't as safe as a PIN code What's safer? Using a numeric PIN code to unlock your Android smartphone or relying on a finger squiggle? The answer might surprise you.

After all these years, I still prefer using Android's pattern unlock feature as opposed to a standard PIN -- here's why.

Greasy finger traces can potentially reveal the pattern used to unlock Android devices. Typing a PIN is better, a Googler concludes.

But having the lockscreen shortcuts is one of my favorite parts of Android. I like being able to swipe up for Google Now, swipe over to the camera, etc. Makes taking pictures just that much faster.

It started off huge and garish, but now it's more minimalist. The overall vibe hasn't changed in Android P, but there is one notable alteration to pattern unlock: the path fades away as you swipe.

As noted first by Android Police, the first Android P developer preview includes a new trick for pattern unlock that hides the trail as you swipe it in. Instead of simply leaving the trail visible ...

Google has dramatically changed its tune on bypassing the Android lock screen. If you forget your lock screen password/PIN/pattern, a factory reset is your only recourse.