How many guesses would it take to open your lock?
Draw a pattern on the 5x5 grid, or pick a PIN or passphrase, and see how many combinations of that kind exist and how long trying them all would take. The method is shown, so you can check it.
- Free, no sign-up
- Works offline once loaded
- Nothing you type leaves this device
- Dots in your pattern
- 0
- Patterns with that many dots
- Draw a pattern
- Strength
- –
Exact counts under AlbumVault’s drawing rule: each dot once, and a straight line across an unused dot picks that dot up. A pattern needs at least 6 dots.
Compare
Time is for trying every combination at the chosen speed. On average the right one turns up halfway through.
Patterns people actually pick are far easier to guess than that number suggests, so choose a long one.
How to use it
- Draw a pattern on the grid, or choose a PIN length or a number of words.
- Read how many possible combinations of that kind exist.
- Set a guessing speed to see how long trying them all would take.
Counts, not promises
The numbers count every possible lock of that kind. People do not choose at random: birthdays, simple shapes and common words get guessed first. A long random choice is strong; a predictable one is weak no matter how big the number is.
Why guessing speed matters
A phone that locks you out after a few wrong tries limits an attacker to a handful of guesses. An attacker with a copy of the encrypted data can guess as fast as their hardware allows, which is why apps slow each guess down on purpose with key-stretching.
FAQ
Questions
Is my pattern sent or stored?
No. The calculator only counts dots in this tab. Nothing is saved or sent.
How is the 3x3 pattern number calculated?
An Android-style 3x3 pattern uses 4 to 9 dots, each once, and cannot jump over a dot it has not used yet. Counting every pattern under those rules gives 389,112.
How is the 5x5 number calculated?
It is an exact count of every pattern with that many dots on a 5x5 grid, where each dot is used once and a straight line over an unused dot picks that dot up. The same method gives 389,112 for the 3x3 grid, which matches the known Android figure. There are 19,174,112 patterns with exactly 6 dots.
How strong is a passphrase?
Each word picked at random from a 2,048-word list adds 11 bits. Twelve random words is 132 bits, far beyond any realistic guessing.
More free tools
QR code generator
Make a QR code for a link, Wi-Fi network or contact, with no redirect in between.
Open toolPhoto metadata remover
See the location, device and dates hidden in a photo, then save a clean copy.
Open toolFace blur
Cover faces, number plates and screens with blur, pixels or a solid block.
Open toolAlbumVault for iPhone and Android
Keep the originals somewhere safer than your camera roll
- Encrypted on this phone
- Each pattern leads to one vault
- No account needed
Coming soon to both stores 