diff --git a/core/java/com/android/internal/widget/LockscreenCredential.java b/core/java/com/android/internal/widget/LockscreenCredential.java
index 03e7fd1c74035..6e63f790ab982 100644
--- a/core/java/com/android/internal/widget/LockscreenCredential.java
+++ b/core/java/com/android/internal/widget/LockscreenCredential.java
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ import java.util.Objects;
 public class LockscreenCredential implements Parcelable, AutoCloseable {
 
     private final int mType;
-    // Stores raw credential bytes, or null if credential has been zeroized. An empty password
+    // Stores raw credential bytes, or null if credential has been zeroized. A none credential
     // is represented as a byte array of length 0.
     private byte[] mCredential;
 
@@ -80,14 +80,20 @@ public class LockscreenCredential implements Parcelable, AutoCloseable {
             Preconditions.checkArgument(type == CREDENTIAL_TYPE_PIN
                     || type == CREDENTIAL_TYPE_PASSWORD
                     || type == CREDENTIAL_TYPE_PATTERN);
-            Preconditions.checkArgument(credential.length > 0);
+            // Do not validate credential.length yet.  All non-none credentials have a minimum
+            // length requirement; however, one of the uses of LockscreenCredential is to represent
+            // a proposed credential that might be too short.  For example, a LockscreenCredential
+            // with type CREDENTIAL_TYPE_PIN and length 0 represents an attempt to set an empty PIN.
+            // This differs from an actual attempt to set a none credential.  We have to allow the
+            // LockscreenCredential object to be constructed so that the validation logic can run,
+            // even though the validation logic will ultimately reject the credential as too short.
         }
         mType = type;
         mCredential = credential;
     }
 
     /**
-     * Creates a LockscreenCredential object representing empty password.
+     * Creates a LockscreenCredential object representing a none credential.
      */
     public static LockscreenCredential createNone() {
         return new LockscreenCredential(CREDENTIAL_TYPE_NONE, new byte[0]);
@@ -130,7 +136,7 @@ public class LockscreenCredential implements Parcelable, AutoCloseable {
 
     /**
      * Creates a LockscreenCredential object representing the given alphabetic password.
-     * If the supplied password is empty, create an empty credential object.
+     * If the supplied password is empty, create a none credential object.
      */
     public static LockscreenCredential createPasswordOrNone(@Nullable CharSequence password) {
         if (TextUtils.isEmpty(password)) {
@@ -142,7 +148,7 @@ public class LockscreenCredential implements Parcelable, AutoCloseable {
 
     /**
      * Creates a LockscreenCredential object representing the given numeric PIN.
-     * If the supplied password is empty, create an empty credential object.
+     * If the supplied password is empty, create a none credential object.
      */
     public static LockscreenCredential createPinOrNone(@Nullable CharSequence pin) {
         if (TextUtils.isEmpty(pin)) {
@@ -175,7 +181,7 @@ public class LockscreenCredential implements Parcelable, AutoCloseable {
         return mCredential;
     }
 
-    /** Returns whether this is an empty credential */
+    /** Returns whether this is a none credential */
     public boolean isNone() {
         ensureNotZeroized();
         return mType == CREDENTIAL_TYPE_NONE;
diff --git a/core/tests/coretests/src/com/android/internal/widget/LockscreenCredentialTest.java b/core/tests/coretests/src/com/android/internal/widget/LockscreenCredentialTest.java
index 63d1a876bf40e..434a8953b19f1 100644
--- a/core/tests/coretests/src/com/android/internal/widget/LockscreenCredentialTest.java
+++ b/core/tests/coretests/src/com/android/internal/widget/LockscreenCredentialTest.java
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ import static com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertThat;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertArrayEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotSame;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
@@ -37,16 +36,16 @@ import java.util.Arrays;
 public class LockscreenCredentialTest {
 
     @Test
-    public void testEmptyCredential() {
-        LockscreenCredential empty = LockscreenCredential.createNone();
+    public void testNoneCredential() {
+        LockscreenCredential none = LockscreenCredential.createNone();
 
-        assertTrue(empty.isNone());
-        assertEquals(0, empty.size());
-        assertNotNull(empty.getCredential());
+        assertTrue(none.isNone());
+        assertEquals(0, none.size());
+        assertArrayEquals(new byte[0], none.getCredential());
 
-        assertFalse(empty.isPin());
-        assertFalse(empty.isPassword());
-        assertFalse(empty.isPattern());
+        assertFalse(none.isPin());
+        assertFalse(none.isPassword());
+        assertFalse(none.isPattern());
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -94,6 +93,24 @@ public class LockscreenCredentialTest {
         assertFalse(pattern.isPassword());
     }
 
+    // Constructing a LockscreenCredential with a too-short length, even 0, should not throw an
+    // exception.  This is because LockscreenCredential needs to be able to represent a request to
+    // set a credential that is too short.
+    @Test
+    public void testZeroLengthCredential() {
+        LockscreenCredential credential = LockscreenCredential.createPin("");
+        assertTrue(credential.isPin());
+        assertEquals(0, credential.size());
+
+        credential = createPattern("");
+        assertTrue(credential.isPattern());
+        assertEquals(0, credential.size());
+
+        credential = LockscreenCredential.createPassword("");
+        assertTrue(credential.isPassword());
+        assertEquals(0, credential.size());
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testPasswordOrNoneCredential() {
         assertEquals(LockscreenCredential.createNone(),