How to Show Contact Info on Android Lockscreen (2026)
The native Android "owner info" option was removed in Android 13. Here's what still works — and the modern app built specifically for this problem.
By the UNTRAPD Security Team·Last updated ·Device paths re-checked against current manufacturer skins
Android 12 and earlier
Settings → Security → Owner info. Samsung One UI: Settings → Lock screen → Contact information.
Android 13 and 14
Google removed the native owner info option. The setting no longer exists in stock Android or most manufacturer skins.
How widespread is this? As of April 2026, 68.84% of Android devices worldwide are running Android 13 or higher — the versions on which Google removed the native lockscreen owner-info field (Source: Statcounter Global Stats, April 2026). Roughly two of every three Android users have no native path to put a contact number on their lockscreen.
Which Android Phones Still Have Native Owner Info (2026)
Support varies by manufacturer skin, not just Android version. Tested on current flagship releases:
Where "partial" support exists, character limits (~40–60 chars) are not enough for useful return information. Name + alternate phone + email is typically 80–120 characters. The lock screen message is best treated as a fallback, not a replacement.
Try native methods first — here are the four paths
Before installing anything, see if your phone still has a built-in path. The four native options, in order from most-to-least common:
- Stock Android 12 and earlier: Settings → Security → Owner info (or Lock screen message)
- Samsung One UI 5 and earlier (removed in One UI 6 / Android 14): Settings → Lock screen → Contact information
- OnePlus / Xiaomi / Realme: Settings → Display → Lock screen → Add text on lock screen (or Settings → Lock screen → Lock screen message). ~40-60 char limit
- Universal fallback (any phone): Make a custom wallpaper in Canva with your name + one contact channel, set it as your lockscreen wallpaper. No app required, slightly clunky to update.
If you're on Android 13+ stock / Pixel / recent Samsung and none of the above works — step 5 (FINDERR) is what was built for that gap.
Check your own device in 30 seconds
Manufacturer skins change this setting between releases, and regional builds of the same phone sometimes differ. Rather than trusting any table — including the one above — check your own handset directly. This takes half a minute and it is the only answer that is true for your device:
- Open Settings and use the search box at the top — do not go hunting through menus, since the path moves between versions.
- Search for owner. If nothing useful appears, search lock screen message, then contact information, then lock screen text. Manufacturers use all four names for the same feature.
- If one of them opens a text field, you have native support. Type your name plus one contact channel, save, then lock the phone and look at it.
- Verify it is actually visible. This is the step people skip. Some devices accept the text and then never render it on the lock screen, or truncate it after roughly 40–60 characters. If you cannot read a working phone number without unlocking, the setting is not doing the job.
ICE information vs. owner info — these are not the same thing
Almost every guide on this topic confuses two separate Android features. They solve different problems, and knowing which one you actually want saves a great deal of wasted setup.
Emergency information (the ICE feature)
Found under Settings → Safety & emergency → Emergency information on most modern Android builds. It stores medical details — blood type, allergies, medications — and a list of emergency contacts.
It is reachable from a locked phone, but not passively: someone must tap Emergency on the lock screen, then Emergency information, and usually tap again to view it. It was designed for paramedics and first responders who are trained to look there.
What it is good for: a medical emergency where you are present but unable to speak.
What it is bad for: a lost phone. A stranger who finds your handset on a train seat has no reason to suspect a hidden menu exists, and will not go looking for one.
Owner info (the "if found, call" feature)
This is the passive line of text printed directly on the lock screen, visible the instant the screen wakes. No taps, no menus, no prior knowledge required.
What it is good for: a lost phone. The finder sees a name and a number without doing anything at all.
The problem: this is precisely the feature that has been progressively removed, which is why you are reading this page.
The practical consequence: setting up Emergency information is worth doing for medical reasons, but it will not help a stranger return your phone. If your goal is recovery, you need something on the lock screen itself — which is what the three methods below address.
Why Android removed owner info
There was no announcement, no migration path, and no replacement. The setting simply stopped appearing, which is why so many people assume their phone is broken or that they have lost a menu somewhere. The reasoning is not officially documented, but the direction of travel across Android releases is consistent and worth understanding, because it tells you whether to expect the feature back.
The lock screen has been steadily reclaimed as controlled surface area. Over successive releases Android has tightened what can appear before authentication — notification content is hidden by default on secure lock screens, sensitive fields are redacted, and widgets were removed years earlier. Owner info sits awkwardly in that model: it is arbitrary user-supplied text, rendered pre-authentication, to an audience that by definition has not proven they own the device.
That creates a genuine tension. The same text that helps an honest finder return your phone also broadcasts your name, and often your alternate number, to anyone who picks it up — including someone who stole it. A thief holding a locked handset with your email address on the screen has a head start on a targeted phishing attempt against the very account that could remotely wipe it. Viewed through that lens, removing a permanently-displayed personal identifier is a defensible privacy decision, even though it removed a feature people relied on.
The reason this matters for your decision: the removal is a deliberate direction, not an oversight awaiting a patch. Waiting for it to return is not a strategy. The methods below all work by putting the information somewhere Android does not police — the wallpaper image itself — which is why they continue to function regardless of version.
Method 1: Native Android Setting (Android 12 and earlier)
Built-in Owner Info
If your phone runs Android 12 or older:
- Open Settings
- Tap Security (or Security & lock screen)
- Look for Owner info or Lock screen message
- Enter your name, alternate phone number, and email address
- Lock your phone and verify the info appears
Samsung (One UI): Settings → Lock screen → Contact information
Method 2: FINDERR Emergency Wallpaper (Android 13, 14 — all versions)
FINDERR App — Emergency ICE Card with QR Code
FINDERR was built specifically because Android removed the native lockscreen info option. It turns your lock screen into an ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact card with a scannable QR code — readable without unlocking the phone.
The part that separates it from a custom wallpaper: you activate the emergency screen remotely, from any browser, after the phone is already gone. You do not have to decide in advance to walk around with your phone number displayed on your lock screen. It stays a normal phone until the moment you need it to become a return card.
How to set it up (5 minutes):
- Install FINDERR from Google Play (free)
- Open the app and complete the emergency contact setup
- Enter the contact info you want displayed: name, alternate phone, email
- Confirm the pairing so the phone can receive a remote activation later
- Done — the phone looks and behaves normally until you activate it
What happens when you actually lose it:
- Borrow any device with a browser — a friend's phone, a laptop, a hotel computer
- Log into the FINDERR dashboard
- Activate the emergency screen on the lost phone
- Its lock screen now displays your ICE contact card and QR code, visible without unlocking
- Whoever has it scans the code or reads the number, and can reach you
The three methods side by side
Which one you want depends mostly on whether you are willing to display your details permanently, and on whether your device still has a native path at all.
| Native owner info | Custom wallpaper | FINDERR ICE card | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works on Android 13 and later | No, on most devices | Yes | Yes |
| Setup effort | Under a minute, if present | 10–15 min in an image editor | About 5 min, once |
| Character limit | ~40–60 where it survives | None | None |
| Scannable QR code | No | Only if you generate one yourself | Yes |
| Details shown all the time | Yes — always visible | Yes — always visible | No — only once activated |
| Change details after losing the phone | No | No | Yes, on the paid tier |
| Needs the lost phone to be online | No | No | Yes, to receive the activation |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free for the core feature |
Honest summary: if your phone still has native owner info and you do not mind it being permanently visible, use it — it is free and needs no app. The custom wallpaper is the zero-install fallback and works everywhere, at the cost of being fiddly to update and permanently public. FINDERR's specific advantage is the remote activation, which is also its one dependency: the handset has to be reachable for the activation to land.
Lock Screen Message (Android 13+ partial workaround)
Some Android 13 devices still allow a short lock screen message under Settings → Display → Lock screen → Add text on lock screen. This varies by manufacturer.
Limitations: typically 40–60 characters max (not enough for useful contact info), not available on all devices, no QR code capability.
Display contact info on your lockscreen — free
FINDERR works on Android 8 through 14. Takes 2 minutes to set up. Core features are free: emergency wallpaper and QR contact code. Web dashboard for remote activation.
Set Up FINDERR — FreeFrequently Asked Questions
Why was owner info removed from Android?
Google removed the "owner info on lockscreen" feature in Android 13 (released 2022). No official reason was given. The feature existed for years and was commonly used to display return-if-found information. Its removal left a gap that third-party apps like FINDERR now fill.
What information should I put on my lockscreen?
At minimum: your name, an alternate phone number (not your own phone's number — useless if the SIM is removed), and an email address. Optionally: a reward offer. Do not include your home address or anything sensitive. The goal is to help a good samaritan return the phone, not to expose private information.
Is FINDERR free to use for this?
Yes. The emergency wallpaper and QR code features are free. No account required for basic setup. Premium features (web dashboard, remote activation) require a subscription — but showing contact info on your lockscreen is entirely free.
Does the QR code work when the phone is locked?
Yes. The QR code is part of the wallpaper image — it's visible and scannable from any camera app without unlocking the phone. The person who finds your phone scans it, reaches a contact page, and can message you directly.
My Samsung phone updated and the Contact information option is gone — why?
Samsung removed the "Contact information" option from the Lock screen settings in One UI 6 (shipped with Android 14). Older Samsung devices running One UI 5 or earlier may still have it at Settings → Lock screen → Contact information. After One UI 6, it's gone. FINDERR is the current alternative for Samsung devices on Android 13 and 14.
Can I show contact info on an iPhone lockscreen?
iPhones still support Medical ID and emergency contacts via Settings → Health → Medical ID, which is accessible from the lockscreen. For full contact display (not just emergency info), options are more limited on iOS than Android.
Is it safe to put my phone number on my lock screen?
It is a genuine trade-off, and worth thinking about for a moment rather than accepting by default. A permanently displayed name and number is visible to everyone who picks up your phone — the honest finder and the opportunist alike. The realistic risk is not physical: it is that a name plus an email address gives someone enough to attempt a convincing phishing message against the account tied to the device.
Two things reduce it. Display an alternate contact — a second number, a partner's number, or an email you do not use for your primary account recovery — rather than the credentials most worth attacking. And prefer a method that only reveals the details when you choose to, which is the practical argument for remote activation over permanently printed text.
What happens if the phone is switched off or has no signal?
Anything printed into the wallpaper image itself — native owner info, a custom wallpaper — is part of the screen and appears as soon as the device is powered on and the screen wakes, with no connection required. It cannot be changed after the fact, but it does not depend on anything.
Remote activation is the opposite trade: it can be triggered after the phone is gone, but the handset has to be powered on and able to receive the instruction for the emergency screen to appear. A phone that is switched off, out of battery, or with no connectivity will not receive it until it comes back. This is the honest limitation of the approach, and the reason a printed wallet card remains a sensible analog backup.
Will any of this help if my phone was stolen rather than lost?
Realistically, no — and it is worth being direct about that. Someone who deliberately took your phone is not going to call the number on the screen. These methods are built for the far more common case: a phone left in a taxi, on a café table, on a train seat, or dropped in the street, found by somebody who would happily return it but has no way to work out whose it is.
For actual theft, the useful steps are different ones: report it to your carrier so the IMEI can be blocked, remotely sign out of your accounts, and file a police report if you intend to claim on insurance. Contact-on-lockscreen is a recovery aid for honest finders, not a theft countermeasure.
What should I not put on my lock screen?
Leave off your home address, your date of birth, your primary account recovery email, and anything resembling a password hint. Do not include your own mobile number as the callback — it is the phone that is missing, so it cannot receive the call.
What works is deliberately minimal: a first name, one contact channel that is not on the missing device, and a short line making the intent obvious, such as "Lost phone — please call, reward offered." A finder decides in a couple of seconds whether returning it is going to be a hassle. Making it look easy matters more than making it look complete.