Protect opening Pennie with device authentication

Step 1

Find Device Authentication in Security

1. Open Settings > Security
2. Locate Device Authentication

Open Settings, then Security, to find Device Authentication. This switch protects opening Pennie on this device.

It is a local app lock, not Pennie account sign-in. Regular Premium, AI Premium and cloud AI permission are separate.

Step 2

Prepare your phone's screen lock

1. Set up your phone's device lock
2. Check available biometric or device credentials

Prepare your phone's screen lock and supported biometric or device credentials before relying on app authentication.

Step 3

Turn on and read the enable notice

1. Turn Device Authentication on
2. Read the next-open or resume notice

Turn Device Authentication on. The setting is saved and Pennie's current authenticated session is reset.

The actual notice says authentication will be required next time the app is opened or resumed. Enabling alone does not demonstrate a successful biometric check.

Step 4

Acknowledge the notice and keep it on

1. Choose OK on the notice
2. Check the enabled switch

Choose OK to acknowledge the enable notice. The Device Authentication switch remains on.

It does not turn on cloud AI, upload your expenses, connect Google Drive or change notification permissions.

Step 5

Check the saved choice on return

1. Return to Security
2. Confirm the switch is still on

Return to Security and confirm that Device Authentication is still on. A fresh actual page and service read the same saved setting.

Our isolated preview restores its original preference after each capture. Your own setting stays as you chose it; no user data is used in this lesson.

Step 6

Disabling requires authentication

1. Turn the switch off only when intended
2. Authenticate to disable device lock

Turning the lock off is the sensitive direction. Pennie requests authentication to disable device lock when authentication is available.

The authentication answer in this demonstration is synthetic. A real phone uses its supported device-authentication prompt, which is not recorded here.

Step 7

Cancellation keeps the lock enabled

1. Read Disable cancelled
2. Leave Device Authentication on

If disabling is not approved, the actual page shows Disable cancelled and restores the switch to on.

The saved lock remains enabled. Cancellation is not proof that the lock was disabled or that your account was signed out.

Step 8

Unavailable authentication is not approval

1. Check your phone's lock configuration
2. Do not assume the lock was disabled

If authentication is unavailable, Pennie does not make an authentication attempt and does not treat that as approval.

It keeps Device Authentication on and shows Disable cancelled. Check your phone's authentication configuration rather than assuming the switch is off.

Step 9

A failed check also leaves the lock on

1. Read the cancellation result
2. Resolve the device-authentication problem

An authentication exception is logged and the actual page still shows Disable cancelled with the saved lock on.

This deliberately rejected synthetic check is not a successful phone authentication. Resolve the device problem before attempting to disable the lock again.

Step 10

Confirm off only after approval

1. Approve disabling on your phone when intended
2. Check that the switch is actually off

After approved authentication, the actual handler saves off and resets the authenticated session. Our approval here is explicitly synthetic, not real biometric acceptance.

Confirm the switch is off before relying on that change. This local lock does not encrypt an exported Excel report or replace secure handling of backups.