Android kiosk screen wakes immediately and bypasses PIN when Disable power button is enabledSolved

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4 weeks ago Jul 16, 2026

I’m setting up a Lenovo Android tablet in kiosk mode. Apps are deployed correctly, but the lock behavior is not working as expected.

When I press the power button, the screen turns off for a split second and immediately turns back on. It shows the lock screen, but it does not ask for the PIN even though a PIN is configured on the tablet and enabled in the kiosk peripheral settings.

If I remove kiosk mode, the tablet behaves normally: the screen stays off, and when I wake it, it asks for the PIN. I also tested the same enrollment/profile on another Android device and saw the same behavior.

In the kiosk policy, the power button is disabled because we do not want users turning off the devices. Is there a way to keep the power button disabled and still require a PIN after the screen wakes?

Replies (1)

Marked SolutionPending Review
Hexnode Expert
4 weeks ago Jul 16, 2026
Marked SolutionPending Review

Hi @raelynn,

This behavior is expected when the Android kiosk policy has the Disable power button option enabled.

Android does not natively allow an MDM to fully disable the physical power button while also keeping the normal lock screen PIN flow active. To simulate a disabled power button, the device may briefly turn the screen off and then force it back on so the kiosk session remains active.

This also affects the lock screen PIN. When the power button is disabled through policy, Android may clear or bypass the active lock screen PIN to prevent the device from getting stuck in a locked or inaccessible state while kiosk mode is being enforced.

To make the device sleep normally and require the PIN again:

  1. Open the Android kiosk policy.
  2. Go to Peripheral Settings > Hardware/Software Buttons.
  3. Turn off Disable power button.
  4. Save and publish the policy.
  5. Sync the policy to the device.

After this, pressing the power button should put the screen to sleep normally, and waking the device should require the configured PIN. The tradeoff is that the physical power button will remain functional, including options that may allow the device to be powered off.

On Android, there is currently no way to enforce both a native lock screen PIN and a software-disabled power button at the same time through kiosk policy. If device security through PIN unlock is the priority, keep Disable power button turned off. If preventing power-button use is the priority, the device may not retain the lock screen PIN while that restriction is active.

Regards,
Sienna Carter
Hexnode UEM

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