keylock

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A key lock or keyboard lock can be used to protect electrical devices from inadvertent entries on the keyboard or touchscreen . The key lock has become particularly popular with cell phones , as many owners carry their phone loosely in their pocket and unintentional pressing of the keys - and thus undesired actions (connection establishment, etc.) - can happen quickly.

In addition to manual activation of the key lock, there is now often the option of activating an "automatic key lock": As soon as no key has been pressed within a specified period, the key lock is activated by the device itself.

To deactivate the key lock, you usually have to press a combination of two or three keys (e.g. the “menu” key and the “*” key). The release combination is usually the same for the devices of a mobile phone manufacturer and is also often displayed on the screen as instructions as soon as any key is pressed.

Due to this uniformity and instructions for release, the key lock is to be understood purely as personal protection against unintentional input, but not as protection against misuse by strangers. For the latter, however, most of today's cell phones offer the option of additionally securing the deactivation of the key lock with a freely selectable code.

The activated key lock is usually shown on mobile phones as a representation of a key symbol on the display. When the key lock is activated, you can only accept calls or dial the European emergency number (112).

Other portable devices such as MP3 players , CD players , handhelds , portable computers or electric razors usually have an operating lock or switch-on lock.

In older devices, a key lock can also be mechanical or also be designed as a switch, which often even creates a real electrical decoupling of the keys. A switch is usually labeled with "LOCK", "KEY LOCK" or "HOLD".