Things You Can Still Do on a Lock Windows Phone 8.1

Setting a password or PIN code lock on your Windows Phone not only adds extra protection but also helps you avoid making accidental phone calls. But, do you know that there are things you can still do with your Windows Phone even if it is locked? Check out the list of things you can still do with your locked phone below:

Things You Can Still Do on a Locked Windows Phone 8.1

Emergency Calls

You can still make an emergency call even if your Windows Phone is locked with a password. All you need to do is to 

swipe up from the lock screen until you see the keypad. From there, tap emergency call, and then dial the emergency phone number for your locale.

Ringer Control

You can adjust the ringer volume from your lock screen to avoid having your phone ring at the most inopportune time, like when you are in a meeting or in a movie theater. To adjust the ringer volume, press the Power button, then press up or down on the Volume buttons to bring up the volume bar. From there, you can do any of the following:

• Turn off ringer using the Volume down button (-)
• Turn on Silent Mode
• Turn on Vibrate Mode

Silence Calls

You can silence an incoming call and turn off the screen by pressing the Power button.

Phone Calls

You can answer or ignore an incoming call from the lock screen. If you want to answer the call, simply swipe up and tap Answer. If you do not want to accept the incoming call, swipe up and tap Ignore to send the call to voicemail.

Action Center

You can access the Action Center from the lock screen by swiping down from the top of your Windows phone's screen. From the Action Center, you can do the following:

• Turn Wi-Fi on or off
• Turn Bluetooth on or off
• Turn Airplane Mode on or off
• Enable Rotation Lock
• Display notifications

To display notifications in Action Center when your phone is locked, go to Settings > notifications + actions, and then check the Show notifications in action center when my phone is locked box. From there, you can select the quick actions and notifications you want to appear in Action Center.

Camera

If you configured your Windows Phone to wake up when the Camera button is pressed, you will be able to activate the Camera function without having to unlock your phone. To configure your phone to wake up when the Camera button is pressed, follow the steps below:

1.     Go to the App list, then tap Photos.

2.     Tap the More icon (...), then tap Settings.

3.     Check the Press and hold camera button to wake up the phone box.

Music and Podcasts

You do not need to unlock your phone to listen to music and podcasts. All you need to do is to press the Power button to rewind, fast forward, pause, or play whatever you are listening to right from your phone's lock screen.

Date, Time, and Appointments

You can use your lock screen to see the current date and time. You can also have a quick view of your next appointment if you use your calendar as your detailed status notification. To do this, go to Settings > Lock screen. Under Choose an app to show detailed status, select Calendar.

Cortana and Speech

If you allow Cortana or Speech above the lock screen, you will be able to do the following:

• If Cortana is turned on, press and hold the Search button so Cortana will begin listening. From there, you can make phone calls, send text messages, set alarms and reminders, take notes, add and update calendar appointments, search the web, etc.
• If Cortana is turned off or not available in your location, press and hold the Search button to bring up Speech. You can use Speech to call or text a contact when your phone is locked.

While You're Busy

If you have been busy and have not taken a call or checked your phone for a while, you can look at the quick status notifications at the bottom of your lock screen to check the text messages, missed calls, emails, voicemails, etc. that have arrived since the last time you have used your Windows phone. You can also view a detailed status notification with a summary of a calendar event, email, text message, missed call, or other app notification.