About this app

Do you ever remember a time when a friend snatched away your phone and you wished that you could lock it remotely?

Now you can!
If your device can receive SMS, you can lock your device by sending it a special SMS.


Simply install SMS to Lock, and you could simply send an SMS (from another device) to lock your phone the next time that happens!

To avoid prank SMS from others from locking your phone, you can also change the settings so it will only lock your phone when the special SMS comes from a specific mobile number.


No ads, No network connection and no Internet connectivity required. Just a pure no-frills app for you to Lock your phone via SMS. Only 2 permissions are required. Just the minimal permissions to do the job!
(1) Device Administrator Privilege to Lock your phone (2) Receive SMS

You will be prompted to grant these 2 permissions the first time that you launch the app. Once you have granted the 2 permissions, you can close the application and forget about the app. It will automatically do its job when the special SMS comes in.


Oh yes, some technical details for those who are wondering. The default Android locking mechanism will literally lock your phone and not just display a "fake" lock screen. So if you happen to be using a locking mechanism that only displays a 3rd party lock screen, be prepared that this will really lock your screen using the Android Device Administrator. You may need to swipe your Android passcode to unlock the phone after that. And if for some reason you want to uninstall the app, you may need to remove the Lock Screen Device Administrator privileges before uninstalling. (Settings > Security > Device Manager > then uncheck the tick beside SMS to Lock. Some devices may automatically bring you to that page when you try to uninstall)


One more thing, test the app after installing to make sure it works!
Don't wait until your phone is snatched away.
Although, we all hope that your phone will NEVER be snatched away in the first place. :)


Do you want to give us feedback or suggest more app ideas to help the world? Welcome over to our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/SMStoLock to share your ideas, feedback and likes!

Hope this app comes in useful for you, and have a great day!



Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1) Can I send an SMS to myself using the same phone to test locking the phone?

Answer: No. Most Telcos do not allow you to send an SMS to yourself on the same phone, hence the message may not reach your phone. If the message does not reach your phone, the locking mechanism will not be activated. Anyway, if you had your phone with you, it would be easier to just press the power button to lock.

To test SMS to Lock, you can send the special SMS from another phone (e.g. your spouse, sibling, of friend's phone) to your phone.


2) How is this different from the many SMS Lock apps in the app store?

Answer: Firstly, SMS Lock apps lock only your SMS messages. SMS to Lock locks your entire device. Secondly, as the name suggests, SMS to Lock is activated via SMS. The special SMS will activate the locking mechanism to lock your device.

New features

Added Instructions on How to Uninstall into the app menu.
It will be easier for users to read, rather than to refer to instructions in the store listing.

App Permissions

Allows an application to receive SMS messages.