"This is a known bug and it has already implemented a fix that was scheduled for a full deployment this week," a Google spokesperson told The Register.
How an Android lock-screen interaction can be turned into an SMS sender
Since May, The Register has collected multiple reports of a practical bypass that lets someone with physical access to an Android device use Gemini from the lock screen to send SMS or WhatsApp messages without entering the device PIN. The reports focus on Android 16 devices that have Gemini access enabled from the lock screen.
The sequence described to The Register is specific. If a device owner has previously revoked Gemini’s access to apps such as Messages, and a person on the lock screen asks Gemini to send an SMS, Gemini will prompt the operator to open the relevant app. Normally, selecting "Continue" then requires the correct PIN to access Messages. But when "Continue" is pressed at the same time as Gemini’s "Add attachment" button, an unauthenticated user can send the SMS via Gemini without the PIN. From that initial bypass, the actor can then restore Gemini’s access to other apps that had been disconnected in Settings by invoking the relevant prompt (for example, entering "@WhatsApp" in the Gemini text window). The change appears in Settings — after the legitimate owner later unlocks the device with their PIN — showing the app (WhatsApp) connected to Gemini even though the expected authentication step was not completed.
The technical contours reported to The Register
Reporters say the exploit relies on a specific multi-touch gesture and requires physical access to the phone. One of the reported variants allowed unauthenticated users with physical access to an Android device to enable functionality such as phone, texts, and WhatsApp via Gemini on the lock screen using that multi-touch gesture. Exploitation, as reported, is local and interaction-driven: it is not described as a remote or background compromise in the material provided to The Register.
Scope and device coverage — what is known and what Google said
The Register notes these reports concern Android 16 devices that permit Gemini on the lock screen, and that the issue is distinct from other Gemini-related lock-screen bypasses that "have made the rounds since September 2025." A Google spokesperson confirmed the company considers the problem a known bug, said a fix has already been implemented, and that a full deployment was scheduled for this week.
Google also told The Register the bug is not Pixel-specific; the company did not, however, identify which manufacturers, models, or Android builds are vulnerable. The Register recorded some claims that the issue could not be reproduced on Samsung devices, but Google declined to specify affected vendors or device lists in its comments.
Why The Register flagged this despite the need for physical access
The Register makes a pointed editorial judgment: while many vulnerabilities that require physical access are often impractical or low priority, this one deserves attention because of the "state of phone theft crime, especially in the UK," and because an attacker able to send convincing SMS messages could use them as part of scams such as fake kidnappings. Those contextual concerns are the reasons The Register chose to publish the detailed interaction sequence rather than treat the report as an academic curiosity.
What this means for end users, security teams, and device manufacturers
- End users and the general public: Users can verify whether apps have been connected to Gemini by checking Settings after unlocking with their correct PIN; The Register reports that the Settings entry showed WhatsApp connected to Gemini even when the expected authentication step had not occurred. The reported exploit requires physical access and specific multi-touch actions.
- Technologists and security teams: Security teams will be watching for the full deployment of Google’s fix this week and for statements that clarify which device models or Android builds the patch covers. The exploit’s reliance on multi-touch timing and lock-screen Gemini access are details security analysts will want to reproduce and harden against in device policy and configuration guidance.
- Device manufacturers: Google said the bug is not Pixel-specific but did not name affected models; manufacturers who have been reported as not reproducible (for example, claims about Samsung devices) may need to validate their device families and communicate either confirmed immunity or required updates to customers and partners.
Google’s public acknowledgement and the promised rapid deployment of a fix answer part of the immediate risk. What remains unclear, based on the material reported to The Register, is a full inventory of which devices and Android builds were vulnerable and whether any users were targeted in the wild. Those are the concrete details security teams and owners will watch for as the patch rolls out.
