Android Lollipop introduced a slew of features to what is arguably the most advanced mobile operating system out there, and one feature stood out as something that you think Samsung would be the first to think up instead of Google. That feature is Screen pinning, which lets you lock – or pin – a particular app to the screen. Once pinned, that app will continue to be the only thing accessible on the phone, until you unpin it manually.
Screen pinning is useful when you want to have quick access to an app at any given moment, like when you're waiting in line at the airport to show your e-ticket and get inside, or if you want to hand over your phone to someone else and don't want them looking at anything other than what's on screen. I've used screen pinning quite a few times on my Nexus 6, and when I first got my Galaxy S6 edge, I was disappointed to see that the option wasn't available.
But it turns out that Samsung has simply hidden the feature in a place where most people won't look (I didn't). Screen pinning can be accessed on the Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge in Other security settings in the Lock screen and security menu in the phone's settings. There, at the very end of the list, you will find the Pin windows option, which you can turn on if you need it.
In addition to being renamed on the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, the method of unpinning an app is a tad different – and simpler. On stock Android, you need to press the recents and back keys at the same time, which can be a bit tedious. But on the S6 family, unpinning can be done by simply holding down the recent apps key. Oh, and thanks to that fingerprint sensor, you can set the phone to require your fingerprint before the app can be unpinned, making the security part pretty convenient as well given how accurate and fast the fingerprint scanner is on the two devices.
Do you use the screen pinning feature on your phone? Let us know down in the comments!
Update: There's been some discussion about the availability of this feature on Lollipop for existing devices like the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy S5, so we thought we would clear things up (as one of our readers did in the comments section.) The Pin windows option is available on other Samsung devices running Lollipop as well – it can be found way down at the bottom under the Advanced tab in the Lockscreen and security settings menu. It's right there in the main security screen, instead of under Other security settings on the Galaxy S6 or S6 edge.
