NFC ring as part of the standard Android unlock system

Tom

Xposed worked well enough for me but I found it to be a battery drain and wanted to see if i could get this into the android framework itself as I build my own ROM for my Nexus 5.

So, the first thing i did was modify Nfc and Settings apps so you can choose when to enable Nfc Polling...

Polling off
Screen off
Screen on and locked
Screen on and unlocked
Screen on and locked only - this is a new mode i've put in that turns Nfc on with the screen and then off again once unlocked. As I only use Nfc on my phone for unlocking, this is really useful as its nice on the battery and doesn't prompt with the empty tag viewer every time i unlock!

Then, using the Xposed module as a basis for the code (so big thanks to those guys!) I added Nfc unlocking into the framework and Nfc app as well as a section under Security settings where you can add/remove tags that are allowed to unlock.

In terms of security, the Nfc tag acts as an override to whatever other lock screen you're using, pattern, pin etc. The tag contents are only handled if the screen is unlocked. If polling is set to 'screen on and locked' then the tag will be picked up as soon as the device is unlocked but there's no way for an unauthorised tag to have its contents handled while the screen is off or on and locked. The unlock is triggered from the Nfc app as an intent, it's probably possible to trigger this intent from elsewhere but the tags uid is checked from within the keyguard while handling it so the uid needs to be known and passed as part of the intent for this to work.

It's all working nicely so far but given i'm not that familiar with the guts of the android lock screen security and creating new ui's, there's probably room for improvement.

Given this is framework changes there isn't really an easy way to release something people can use and test. The code is all here:

https://github.com/AospPlus/android_frameworks_base/commits/aosp-plus_4.4
https://github.com/AospPlus/android_packages_apps_Settings/commits/aosp-plus_4.4
https://github.com/AospPlus/android_packages_apps_Nfc/commits/aosp-plus_4.4

and it's based on pure aosp (with a few other relatively minor changes) so should be straight forward enough to merge into other ROMs. If anyone wants to make changes/fixes and submit pull requests then please do. Once it's tested a bit and improved where needed I'll see about getting patches submitted to the major ROMs, (CyanogenMod etc.)

Anyone with a Nexus 5 who knows how to compile ROMs can do so with

    repo init https://github.com/AospPlus/android_manifest -b aosp-plus_4.4
    repo sync
    brunch hammerhead

MikeInSeattle

Another Xposed module you have the option to look into is the NFC LockScreenOffEnabler. The main purpose of this module to just to give the user the option of having NFC poll when the screen is off and/or locked (Similar to Tom's solution).

Also its settings also has an "Authorize NFC tags" section where you can have the module remember certain NFC tag IDs that can unlock your device. Very simple to use. For most, it won't turn on the screen automatically if you try to unlock while the screen is off, but you can use Tasker and Trigger (or a similar combination) to accomplish that.

Reminder that you have to be rooted to use Xposed. Battery life may vary, but I haven't noticed too much difference. If you're just looking for a convenient way to unlock your device, this worked for me.

asbath

Yeah I tried using the Xposed module NFCLockScreenOffEnabler, and it works really well. Problem is that it works too well. Sometimes I'd just be resting my hand on my leg and accidentally unlocking my phone without my knowledge of it. Using the NFC Unlock Control helps mitigate that risk some, but still your screen will be on for longer than you'd like, thus draining your battery.

A great module/app, but just be warned that you might be triggering your screen more often than you'd like

MikeInSeattle

Yeah, that can be problematic. I ended up setting it up to poll when the screen is on and locked, so I put the NFC tag (soon to be ring) in the sweet spot as I press the hardware home button to turn on the screen. Then it just unlocks almost immediately after turning on the screen. It's an extra step, but not a major inconvenience for me (I have a Galaxy Note 3, but it's not as convenient for phones with only softkeys or capacitive buttons). Depending on your phone and where you put it, like your case of accidentally unlocking in your pocket, it's not for everyone.

MauricioU

@Rob3E or @MikeInSeattle

You guys seem to have done the Xposed Framework/NFC LockScreenOff Enabler method successfully. So I tagged you both to, maybe, provide me with an answer to a question I have.

I got my ring, rooted my phone, installed the Xposed Framework (first time installing this, though, I've had ample experiencing rooting and flashing roms), and downloaded the NFC Lockscreen off enabler module. I set up a pin for my phone and set up the module to unlock my phone with my ring. My phone unlocks perfectly with my NFC Ring. However, whenever I unlock my phone with the NFC ring, the application "Tags" opens and it says "New tag collected" and under that it says "Unknown tag type". This link shows you guys a picture fo what that screen looks like. It is not my phone but I found this online and this is exactly what it looks like, except i don't get the options for "done" or "delete": http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5827/newtagcollected.png

So, in other words, it doesn't just unlock my phone with the ring as if I input a pin, but it also opens this "tags" app and tries to tell me the contents of the tag--I know this because before it would tell me what the NFC Ring Control app set up on the tag which was the website for nfcring. I thought clearing the tags on the ring of its content would stop that from showing but now it just says "unknown tag type". Perhaps you know a way around it. I'm currently scavenging the internet for an answer to this but no one even mentions this issue in the official XDA developers forum for NFC Lockscreenoff enabler, at least from what I can tell. I've seen people say to disable this app and I've seen people say the NFC reader is malfunctioning, but it is never in the context of what I'm trying to do. I disbaled the app temporarily but I notice on here you guys don't mention this at all as if it didnt happen to you guys. So I'm wondering if anyone here knows anything about this.

Thanks,

Mauricio

MikeInSeattle

@MauricioU Yes, it will try to read the contents of the NFC tag, and clearing it will only give you the "unknown tag" issue. That is an Android thing it does.

There are 3 ways to go about it:

There is also another Xposed module called "Disable NFC Tag Empty Message". It just prevents Android from showing the "unknown tag" display. This is only supported for devices up to Ice Cream Sandwich. There is no 4.2+ support yet.
Make the tag do nothing. Just write to the ring an empty action list. So the tag is technically not empty... just not told to do anything.
Make the ring do something you can use at unlock. For me, I pattern lock my private apps as well, and use the ring to disable protection. You can be creative here.

I hope this helps!

Chris

This post is deleted!

darren1

@MikeInSeattle said:

Make the tag do nothing. Just write to the ring an empty action list. So the tag is technically not empty... just not told to do anything.

How do you write an empty action list?

MikeInSeattle

@darren1
Okay, in this case, I'm wrong the way it's said. You can't necessarily write an empty action list, but you can write an action that doesn't change the state of your device in any way via Tasker and NFC Tools apps (or similar).

Are you familiar with these kind of apps?

darren1

@MikeInSeattle I see what you mean now. What I have done is freeze "Tags" via Titanium Backup, seems to have done the job.

MikeInSeattle

@darren1 good to hear!