Steam Deck gets new lock screen feature with its biggest update

Valve's Steam Deck handheld console on Tuesday received a new update. The company has been pushing out updates at a steady pace, introducing improvements to the gaming performance and Steam OS experience. Tuesday's update, however, is the biggest update yet and it brings a lot of new features to the device including a new lock screen feature.

On its official Steam blog, Valve wrote, "We've added the ability to turn on a lock screen and PIN for Steam Deck. You can set this to show up on wake, boot, login, and/or when switching to Desktop mode. Sorry little bro/sis, you won't be able to borrow your sibling's Steam Deck and mess with their save games any more."

Hi all, we've just shipped some hefty updates to Steam, SteamOS, and firmware for Steam Deck. On the menu: a new lock screen feature, an updated achievements page, localized keyboards, power and compatibility improvements, and more.
See all the details at https://t.co/WddUVj1Ntv pic.twitter.com/o0chjUCOzs

— Steam Deck (@OnDeck) April 25, 2022

The new lock screen feature will allow users to finally lock their device with a six-character PIN code.

Not only that, Valve is also introducing an updated achievements page design, localised keyboards and support for multiple windows with the new update.

Windows 11 users will be pleased to know that the update finally brings the much-anticipated full fTPM support for Windows 11.

NOTE: When updating, make sure you are in game mode, not Desktop mode. If you've updated from desktop mode and are stuck in a boot-loop, please follow these recovery instructions.

Here are all the changes coming to the Steam Deck with the new update

Client Update:

• Added Lock Screen feature
  • Lock screen is specific to device, and can be set to show up on wake, boot, login, and/or when switching to Desktop mode
  • PIN can be entered using the touchscreen or controls
• Added localized keyboards for 21 languages and layouts
  • Multiple keyboards can be enabled in Settings > Keyboard > Active Keyboards
  • Use the new globe key on the keyboard to cycle between active keyboards
• Added support for multiple windows within one application or game.
  • Press Steam to view active windows and select which window you would like to view
  • Useful for web browsers or games with launchers
• Updated Achievements page design, making it faster to load and easier to navigate
• New achievements drop down allows players to quickly compare stats against any friend who also plays
• Add Friend and Pending Requests have been combined into a single new page for better handling of friend requests
• Added logic to detect and notify user when a microSD card doesn't match advertised storage size and specifications, instead of attempting to format (for a very long time)
• Fixed issue where Steam and (...) button couldn't be used with Remote Play when streaming games from PC
• More performance improvements for players with very large game libraries

OS Update:

• Added messaging when a charger that doesn't meet the minimum bar is plugged in
• Added uncapped framerate setting in Quick Access menu > Performance
• Added Half-Rate Shading experimental option to Quick Access menu > Performance, forcing 2x2 Variable Rate Shading into existing games for power savings
• Added fTPM support, enabling Windows 11 installation
• Added button combo: hold "..." + "Volume Down" to reset PD contract in the cases where Steam Deck gets stuck due to an incompatible Type-C device
• Updated power LED to dim a few seconds after power supply connection events for better experience in dark environments
• Improved compatibility for a number of Type-C docks and PSUs
• Improved battery life in idle or very low usage scenarios
• Improved stability
• Fixed issues where the touchscreen does not work after some boots
• Fixed compatibility with some SD cards specifically when used as boot devices.
• Fixed extra haptic click when pressing on trackpads
• Fixed ACPI error spew in the kernel