Skip to content
TechBone
Samsung

Samsung: Turn On-body Detection On or Off

If your Samsung phone stays unlocked the moment you pick it up, on-body detection is quietly keeping Smart Lock active. The motion sensor cannot always tell your hand from a bag or pocket, so the lock screen sometimes gets skipped when it should not. That mix-up affects both battery use and how secure the phone stays when it changes hands.

6 min7 steps
Version

Step by step

1 / 7

Step 1 of 7: Tap on **Settings**

1

Tap on Settings

Live simulator

Android 11 · One UI 3
Turn On-body Detection On or Off – One UI 3: step 1 – Tap on Settings
Tap on Settings
1 / 7

Scroll or use the buttons for the next step

Feedback

Was the guide correct?

Help others: confirm the path or report a problem.

14

Confirmations

Forum verified this path

Samsung

Turn On-body Detection On or Off auf Samsung

On-body detection is part of Samsung Smart Lock. It uses the motion sensor to guess whether the phone is currently being carried or held, and keeps the lock screen inactive while that motion pattern continues.

The sensor cannot recognize who is holding the device. It only tracks movement, so a phone handed to someone else or dropped into a shared bag can stay unlocked longer than intended. This is the main reason to disable the feature on devices that get passed around or left in shared spaces.

Turning it off forces the lock screen to activate as soon as the screen turns off, regardless of movement. Turning it on again trades some of that security for fewer unlock prompts during regular use, such as walking with the phone in your hand.

Where to find the setting

Open Tap on SettingsTap on Lock screenTap on Smart LockEnter the current Pattern,PINor PasswordTap on On-body detectionEnable or disable On-body detectionTap on Continue.

If Smart Lock is missing from the lock screen menu, another lock screen security option may currently be limiting Smart Lock features on the device.

Frequently asked questions

The motion sensor runs continuously while on-body detection is active, which adds a small, steady load. On most Samsung phones this is minor, but disabling the feature under Tap on Smart Lock removes that background check entirely.

Compatible devices

Tap your device — opens its hub with matching guides.

Android 11 · One UI 3

No compatible devices are listed for this version.