Can you give more detail about why the passcode bit is “so inconvenient”? I’m not being snarky - I’m curious - I have noticed on my own iPad and iPhone a slight increase in passcode requirement - but it’s always been logical - like after a reboot.
Otherwise, I don’t see the request for passcode very often overall. Could it be there is a setting that you have (maybe inadvertently) set to require passcode more often? For example, you can set iTunes to require passcode for every purchase, or you can enable TouchID (but that will still require passcode if device is rebooted).
The aggravation of having to enter a passcode multiple times a day was not worth the aggravation relative to the I-Pads' superiority to a Fire given my present limited use of a tablet. Once a day is fine once my daughter showed me how to reset it.
Plus she told me that the autolock on smartphones can be reset to once a day when I get one after retirement. I'll just have to be careful about not using it for anything where security is an issue.