Man Meets Android

Your android phone is beautiful, and it is exactly that: YOUR android device. Android devices already come preinstalled with a very efficient lockscreen which gives you a variety of unlock options including Swipe, PIN, Pattern, Face Unlock, and with the newer phones a fingerprint unlock option.

For me, the lockscreen matters a lot, because I want the first thing I see when I turn on my phone to reassure me that not just anyone can access my phone, so it has to be functionally and innovatively secure, as well as beautiful to look at.

So you can assume I've used quite a number of lockscreens. Here are my top 5 lockscreens, in no particular order:

1. AcDisplay (Free)

PlayStore link

A very minimalistic looking lockscreen, but packed with amazing functionality. Very low CPU requirement so it is very gentle on your battery. You can see previews of your notifications right from its interface, and you can even dismiss them without needing to open the app. You could even customize it to wake up when you receive a new notification or pull it out of your pocket. I like this app.

2. Knock Lock (Free/Premium)

PlayStore link

A simple, no nonsense, no frills lockscreen. It's only job is to secure your phone, and probably tell you the time/ You knock on certain pre-allocated regions of your phone screen to wake it up, and that's it. The free version is perfect, and the premium variety gives you more customization options. It does its job very well.

3. Echo Notification (Free)

PlayStore link

This lockscreen app does its best to make your life easier and more organized. It categorizes your notifications for you, according to priority set by you, and will even wake your phone when those priority alerts come in. Keeps things tidy and ordered depending on if it's work, media, social, etc.

4. Start (Free)

PlayStore link

This lockscreen doesn't want you to leave your lockscreen. It wants to bring all your content to you right from your lockscreen so that you don't have to leave it. You can access any of your pre-arranged apps or feeds, and even recently opened apps. You can even initiate phone calls, right from within the app. It also has a lot of themes you can pick from so you can customize it according to your own taste.

5. CM Locker (Free)

PlayStore Link

""No. 1 Rated Lockscreen on Google Play""

This is one of those apps that I pleasantly stumbled on a few weeks ago, and I cannot stop using it.


This is my present setup. It is everything I want in a lockscreen. It looks beautiful. It has a lot of customization options. It even has a dedicated weather page, which I didn't even find useful till I got this app. It also shows you a preview of whatever message is incoming. On the security side, there are more than a few designs, whether it is PIN or Pattern unlock, and if you put in the wrong PIN or pattern after 3 attempts, it takes a picture of the person using your phone and sends me an email with that picture! How cool is that? If I had a ranking system, this would definitely be my number 1 pick.



So that's my list. What is your favorite lockscreen? Tell me in the comments section below!