Fix: Android Smart Lock not working

Android Smart Lock is a nifty feature that allows you to add trusted places and trusted devices that you can use to keep your device unlocked. So you don’t have to unlock it while at home or at work, for example. Now, for some users, Android Smart Lock is not working, especially the Trusted Places (as explained in this thread on Google Support Forums). Today, we made sure to explain how to fix this and why the issues appear. If you want to learn more, keep on reading.

Table of contents:

1. Remove and add Trusted Place again
2. Check Permissions
3. Enable Improved accuracy
4. Stick to a single user profile

Why are Smart Lock Trusted Places not working?

If the Android Smart Lock Trusted Places are not working and your phone is not unlocked while at home, make sure to:

• Remove and add the Trusted Place again. If you are using the Home/Work from Google Maps, we suggest not using the address but putting a pin at your home/apartment/work location.
• Allow Google Maps to use the Location all the time in the background.
• Improve GPS accuracy.
• Use a single Google Account/Profile on your Android because multiple accounts with Smart Lock enabled seem to cause issues.
• Just use a Bluetooth device as a trusted device instead of the location.

1. Remove and add Trusted Place again

The first thing to do is to try removing and adding the Trusted Place. To improve the functionality of Trusted Places, we suggest adding multiple neighboring locations that are close by. So if the GPS readings miss your original place, your device will still unlock.

Here’s how to remove and add a trusted place in Android Smart Lock:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Lock Screen. The Smart Lock option might be in Settings > Security on some Android skins.
3. Open Smart Lock.
4. Select Trusted Places.
5. Choose the trusted place you already sat and delete it.
6. Tap Add Trusted Place.
7. Zoom in and use the pin to choose your precise location. Please don’t go for address and residence number as it’s not as exact.

• How to Bypass Android Lock Screen

As we said, you can add more locations close to the first one so you’ll get your device unlocked even if the GPS signal is sketchy.

2. Check Permissions

Since Smart Lock depends on Google Maps API to work, it’s necessary for Google Maps to have the access to Location at all times. With changes to permissions added in a couple of Android versions ago, you have an option to choose if an app has access to Location Services at all times or only when it’s in use. In this case, you should allow Google Maps to access the location at all times in order for Smart Lock Trusted Places to work as intended.

Here’s how to check permissions for Google Maps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Apps.
3. Choose Maps from the list of available apps.
4. Tap Permissions.
5. Open Location permission.
6. Set Allow all the time.

3. Enable Improved accuracy

The next thing you can also do is improve the GPS accuracy on your device because, in most cases, Smart Lock doesn’t work because the GPS is not on point. You can do that by enabling Bluetooth and Wi-Fi scanning or setting High accuracy if the option is available.

Here’s how to improve GPS on your Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Location and enable Location.
3. Select Location services or Settings.
4. Enable Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning. On some Android skins, you can choose High accuracy.

4. Stick to a single user profile

Finally, it seems that changing the user profile causes issues with Trusted places. Especially if you have different places enrolled in different profiles (Google Accounts, Samsung Accounts, etc.). You can report the problem to Google and hope that they sort it out but, for the time being, we suggest sticking to a single profile if possible. At least, if you want Smart Lock Trusted places to work seamlessly.

In addition, you can navigate to Settings > Apps > Google Play Services > Storage > Manage storage and clear data. This might have something to do with failing location recognition because Google Play Services manage the integration of Google Maps with Smart Lock features.

With that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to leave your questions or suggestions in the comments section below. As always, we look forward to hearing from you.