Why does the pattern lock exist? I don't understand why many newer phones use the pattern lock by default as opposed to a more traditional pin. All I see is downsides:


I find it slightly more tricky to keep dragging throughout the whole motion as opposed to tapping the numbers, especially when using one hand.
I found myself far more tempted to use poor patterns (like L shape or M or 4...) than I ever did to pick a poor pin (like 1234 or my birth year)
The shape you drag out on the dots is much more easily visible to somebody standing next to you than tapping out a pin is, mostly because it draws the actual polygon on the screen as you do it and its relatively huge. It can be turned off but I've yet to see anybody do it.
When I look at the fingerprints on my phone screen, where I dragged the pattern is quite clearly distinguishable, probably because the gesture is way larger than any other touch motion I do on the screen.
I find it more difficult to remember longer patterns than equal length pin's. This probably depends on the person but I think the fact that I've been remembering various series of numbers for decades also plays a role.


So overall it just seems like a bad idea. Why are they so popular as of late? Some advantage that I'm missing?
I am no longer able to use the pattern lock since I've enabled fingerprint recognition.  However, when I did use pattern lock I always used all nine dots and I disabled all haptic and visual (line drawing) feedback.

I could draw my shape in a fairly fluid motion and the latter movements wiped across the earlier, so judging from the fingerprint smear wouldn't necessarily be obvious as to the shape I drew.  Additionally, I'd cross back at the end over areas I've already touched.  Without the haptic feedback, someone might have a difficult time knowing which dots were drawn over the first time and which were done to throw them off.

My best protection, however, was to take a quick glance to see if anyone was looking before trying to unlock my phone.  If someone is clearly watching you and is interested in breaking in to your phone then you're going to have a hard time maintaining complete security regardless of your lock method.