Android 17 may let you unlock your phone with your Google account

A new feature spotted in the Android 17 QPR2 beta would let users unlock their phone via their Google account if they forget their PIN or exhaust all attempts. Currently, running out of attempts forces a factory reset that wipes all data.

• Android 17 allows only 20 PIN attempts before locking the device
• Google account unlock would prevent data loss from a factory reset
• Feature is not in the current QPR2 beta, expected in QPR3 by March 2027