Newly granted Android patent suggests we might see a pattern unlock that also features app shortcuts
Application shortcuts from the lockscreen aren’t exactly a new “thing” in Android. We’ve been enjoying them since the 528MHz days, but unfortunately, there’s never been a way to keep your device securely locked while still enjoying application shortcuts from the lockscreen. It’s always been one or the other and is one of the reason I’ve never bothered with securing my device with a pin/pattern unlock (please don’t rob me).
But it seems those wacky brains at Google are on top of it, or… at least thinking about it, as hinted by this newly granted patent. It’s the familiar pattern lock we all know and love only with a twist. The patent suggests a user defined pattern unlock that can be extended to unlock specific apps. Simply swipe the pattern to unlock, and continue to the next dot to launch the dialer, or continue to another dot for the camera.
Seems pretty neat and we’d love to see a 3rd party lockscreen get the jump on this. While there’s no indication that Google will actually utilize this patent, we wouldn’t mind seeing a pattern unlock like this introduced in Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie (version number unconfirmed).