APK Download: Google Play Services update lets you used trusted locations for Smart Lock on Android Lollipop
Android 5.0 Lollipop’s Smart Lock feature is great for giving you the ability to keep your phone unlocked when using it near a trusted Bluetooth or NFC-equipped device, but another new element has arrived thanks to today’s upgrade to Google Play Services. You can now set up “Trusted Places” so that your phone can be easily accessed only when you’re in specific areas.
For instance, as you drive into your garage your phone will recognize that you’re within that “trusted place” and won’t require you to put in any PIN or password you’ve set up. Venture away from said area and it’ll know to lock things up when you’re not using it. Convenient and neat is always a wonderful combination. You can easily specify a trusted place by using one of your saved addresses or typing in a new one.
The only downside we can see is that there doesn’t seem to be a way to specify exactly how big the radius is for the location you put. Say there’s a coffee shop right across the street and you leave it there — its close proximity might mean they’ll view that coffee shop as a trusted place and leave your phone vulnerable to peeping eyes. I guess at that point it’s just up to you to make sure you don’t accidentally leave your phone anywhere.
The update should be headed to devices over the coming weeks, so stay on the lookout for Google Play Services version 6.5.85 (1589008-438). Folks with Android 5.0 can download the new version and install it to get in on the fun immediately.
[via Reddit]