Device lock & security

Customer data is sensitive — names, phone numbers, device passcodes, signatures, and payment history. RepairNode can require your phone's own biometric or device-credential prompt before the app opens, so you do not have to manage a second in-app PIN or a security question.

Why use device lock

• Protects against casual access by anyone who picks up your phone while the app is open or returning from background.
• Required to reveal the cloud backup recovery phrase.
• Uses system biometrics or the device passcode, pattern, or password instead of a RepairNode-only secret.
• Supports configurable re-lock timing, so you can choose whether the app should prompt only on launch or after background idle time.

Turning it on

During first-launch setup, RepairNode offers Device Lock on the final Terms & Privacy step. You can also enable it later from Settings:

1. 1
   Open Settings → App Settings

   The Device Lock toggle lives in the Security section.
2. 2
   Turn on Device Lock

   RepairNode checks whether your phone already has a system lock method configured.
3. 3
   Authenticate once

   Use the system prompt the phone shows — fingerprint, face, or the device passcode/pattern/password.
4. 4
   Pick a re-lock timing

   Use the Re-lock Timing row below the toggle if you want a different prompt policy than the default 5-minute setting.

Available methods

The exact methods depend on the phone and what the operating system reports. In Settings → App Settings, RepairNode shows an Available Methods row so you can see what the device currently exposes.

• Fingerprint / Face ID / Face unlock when the device reports a biometric method.
• Basic biometric on some Android devices that expose a generic Class 2 biometric instead of naming the modality directly.
• Device credential fallback through the phone passcode, PIN, pattern, or password when the OS allows it.

Re-lock timing

Device Lock is not just on or off. The Re-lock Timing setting controls when RepairNode should ask again after the app leaves the foreground.

• Launch only — prompt when the app starts, but not on ordinary background/foreground switches.
• Every background exit — prompt every time the app returns from the background.
• After 1, 5, or 15 minutes — prompt only if the app was away long enough to cross that threshold.

Turning it off

Open Settings → App Settings, switch Device Lock off, complete one fresh device-auth check, then confirm the dialog. RepairNode does not let someone casually disable protection without proving they already have access.

Recovery phrase protection

The backup recovery phrase is the highest-risk secret in the app. When Device Lock is enabled, RepairNode asks for a system-auth confirmation before revealing the 12 words. This reuses the same face, fingerprint, or device-credential prompt as normal unlock.

If auth is unavailable

If the phone temporarily cannot authenticate — for example, biometric lockout after too many failed scans, or the device screen lock was removed outside the app — RepairNode keeps Device Lock turned on and asks again later. To re-enable smooth access, fix the system lock state on the phone itself, then retry from the app.

What is stored locally

• Device Lock enabled/disabled is stored in shop_settings as a preference.
• Re-lock timing is stored as a small policy value such as launch-only or 5 minutes.
• Your actual biometric data never reaches RepairNode. Face templates and fingerprints stay with the operating system and secure hardware.
• There is no app-specific PIN, no security question, and no PIN-recovery answer stored in the current app flow.