Could this be due to control by some app or other outside source?

I doubt it but let me asked if you have downloaded any apps that aren't very "popular" or perhaps out of the mainstream. Occasionally the Google Play Store has had problems with people uploading "bad" apps. You're fine with things like Facebook, Twitter, Amazon Kindle, etc. but if you have Bob's Wonderful Free Screen Saver app that could be a source of trouble. Ideally you want to use apps that have 50,000+ downloads and good reviews (although reviews can be faked).

The more likely alternative is that the phone simply isn't recognizing the transition between a "safe zone" like your home and the grocery store. I have no idea how Android does that but as others have suggested, you would be better off finding a forum that caters to LG products rather than a general forum such as this one.

Also if you are having a lot of problems with the phone try a reset. If the phone is less than a year old it should be under warranty with your carrier and LG. If you recently had a phone update sometimes that could cause problems until they send out another update to fix the bugs. I have never used finger print lock and such on any of my LG phones so no experience with that. Mary

Its a basic Android setting and has little to do with LG other than it being on their LG phone. Ed, can you post a screenshot of the Screen Lock Type page? Notmally if an app requires a screen lock, it grays out options rather than hides them.

And Ed, nobody knows what an LG Lg64vl is. I’d use the common name Fiesta and you might garner additional attention. Just a suggestion for future posts.

I have to wonder if there was a phone update that caused things to go screwy. I get it's an android setting but it's an LG product and if it's not working right and in the 1yr warranty I would be complaining to LG to make it right or the carrier. I see this is a tracphone though so maybe things work different with them. Mary

The first thing they or any other carrier/manufacturer will tell you is to do a factory reset. If it continues to do it after a reset, then they may do something, but not until that. And you’d likely get a warranty from Tracfone rather than LG. Also, from what I’m reading, Tracfones rarely, if ever, get any software or even lowly security updates. Thats rather unfortunate, and likely not the cause of the problems.

Possible fix : https://forums.androidcentral.com/sony-xperia-z3/540143-security-screen-lock-none-option-missing.html

I agree with crafty almost but not entirely. Both Android Central and the help section of your mobile carrier should be where you go to get specific advice very quickly.

I don't agree with her advice of "do a reset". That's rarely needed and doing so 1) erases everything on the phone, photos, music, settings and all, and 2) requires a comprehensive setup of the phone as was done when it was new and including everything that was downloaded and set up since.

I have everything backed up to my cloud, computer and I use the LG backup feature that saves settings and all so never an issue for me. I test this once when I get a new phone and it really does restore all my settings exactly as I had them, including wallpaper and the ringtone I had set. Also lets me load into a new LG phone so I don't have to re-do my settings. One of the features I love about LG phones. If a soft reboot doesn't work for this and a reset is not recommended then what next? A person should not have to live with a defective phone that keeps messing up. Mary

Elmer is simply trying to help find the root cause of the issue, as it can easily come back with a reset and restore making someone even more frustrated. And most people dont back up their devices as well as you Mary, so kudos to you for sure. We’re not suggesting she live with a defective phone, but its likely not the phone itself that is the problem. And until you can find out what the root of the problem is, it can always come back to bite you.

Why think the phone is defective? Is it a problem, or a feature the user isn't aware of? There's simply no way to do this from a distance without having the same phone from the same carrier (which hasn't been specified) which is why I suggested the help sources I did.

As Steve picked up on, telling a beginner level user to do a factory reset and assuming anything about how or why they have their phone settings one way or another, is like telling someone to polish their car with a belt sander. Someone with experience can do lots of things a beginner can't.

Ed Stephen, I strongly suggest you contact your carrier's tech support service or forum for help as a first start.

Well some would say my back ups are over kill for phone and computer. I figure the less I keep on the device cluttering it up the smoother it will run. I have seen to many people crying over lost family photos because they didn't back them up. I hope they can figure out what is causing this. I had the boot loop issue with the G4 and LG admitted it was their update that fried the phones. Happened once in warranty and once out of warranty and out of warranty LG still gave me a prepaid mailer and fixed it free once they determined it was not my fault. I have to say their customer service was very good to deal with on that issue. I didn't realize how updates worked with tracphone and the lesser carriers so good to know.

I am trying to attach two screenshots- but how this shows up does not seem correct. GW is the only place I have had difficulty copy/pasteing. Thank you for the advice. content://media/external/file/10219

Should be a photo button at the bottom of the text box. Tap that button and choose your screenshot.

I always have my phone set to autolock, regardless of where I am. It seems like a big hassle/risk to keep remembering to put it on and take it off depending on one's location. I want my phone to be inaccessible to others, especially if it gets lost. If I lost it, that would probably be the day I forgot to set it to autolock as I was going out the door.