Android smartphones can be locked using a password or a pattern. We are ready to explain what to do if you forget your combination. Let’s explore different ways to regain access, including resetting settings, using accounts, and third-party programs.
Ways to Unlock Your Phone
If you’ve forgotten your password, there are several ways to regain access to your smartphone. Depending on the phone model and settings, you can use built-in features, accounts, or third-party tools to remove or bypass the lock without resetting your settings. Let’s look at the main methods.
Smart Lock Feature
Smart Lock is a built-in Android feature that allows you to quickly unlock your phone under certain conditions. These include:
- Trusted Devices: Your phone stays unlocked when connected to trusted devices, such as smartwatches or your car via Bluetooth.
- Trusted Places: Your phone remains unlocked when you’re in predefined locations, like your home or office.
- Face or Voice Recognition: The lock can be removed using face recognition or voice commands you’ve set up previously.
If Smart Lock is enabled, you can use it to bypass the screen lock.
“Forgot Password” Feature
On Android versions before 5.0, the “Forgot Password” option is available, allowing you to regain access to your phone. This feature is only available on older smartphones, as it was removed in newer versions for enhanced security. If your Android version supports this feature:
- Click the “Forgot Password?” button on the lock screen to reset it.
- Enter your Google account credentials to verify your identity. After that, you’ll regain access to your device and can set a new password without resorting to a factory reset.
On newer smartphones with updated Android versions, other methods, such as using your Google account or remote management services, are recommended for recovery.
Google Account
If you’ve forgotten your password or pattern, this method can help you regain access to your phone without resetting settings or losing data. A Google account linked to your smartphone is required.
Following this guide, you will unlock your phone as easily as hitting the jackpot while playing at Slotsgem:
- Enter the wrong password multiple times on the lock screen until the option to recover access via your Google account appears.
- The system will then prompt you to enter your Google account credentials.
- Enter your login and password to regain access to your phone.
- Once logged in, you can unlock your smartphone and set a new password.
If you’ve forgotten your Google account password, you can also try recovering it via the Google account recovery website on a computer.
This method is suitable for those who don’t want to format their locked phone and lose important data. It works on most Samsung, Xiaomi, Infinix, and other Android devices.
Samsung Account
This is another simple way to unlock your phone if you’ve forgotten your Android password, but it’s only available for Samsung users. You can unlock your smartphone via the Samsung Find My Mobile service, which is suitable for users who have previously set up their Samsung account.
How to Use This Method:
- Visit the Samsung Find My Mobile website via any browser on a PC or another device.
- Log in to your Samsung account linked to your smartphone.
- Find your device in the list of connected devices.
- Select the “Unlock” option and follow the on-screen instructions. After this, you can unlock the touchscreen and remove the old PIN.
This method only works if the Find My Mobile feature was activated beforehand.
What If Nothing Works?
If you’ve tried all standard unlocking methods and nothing has worked, you may need to resort to more drastic measures. Can you regain access without losing data, or will you have to reset all settings and erase all information from the device? Yes, you can. Let’s explore the options.
Factory Reset
You can format your smartphone. After this, the phone will return to factory settings and erase all data—photos, contacts, and apps.
After the reset, the phone will return to its original state, solving the forgotten password issue, but all data will be lost.
How to Unlock via Factory Reset:
- Turn off your phone and simultaneously press the power and volume down buttons to enter recovery mode.
- Use the volume keys to navigate and select the “Wipe data/factory reset” option to format the phone.
- Confirm the action with the power button.
- After rebooting, the phone will return to its initial settings. To use it again, you’ll need to log in to your Google account and set a new screen lock password.
Keep in mind that if the phone is reset to factory settings, you’ll need to enter the password for the Google account linked to the device to unlock it. This is a mandatory requirement to protect data if the device is lost or stolen.
Additionally, the reset can be performed via a computer using special programs. This may be necessary if your device’s screen isn’t working or if it’s locked and doesn’t allow access to recovery mode.
Using PC Programs and Apps
If other methods haven’t helped unlock your phone, you can use special programs that allow you to regain access via a PC. These are helpful when the phone is locked with a password or a complex pattern.
Programs to Unlock Your Phone and Reset the Password:
- Fone: Supports most models, including Samsung A10, Redmi 8, Asus, Inoi, Bq, and others. This program can remove the screen lock without data loss.
- Tenorshare 4uKey: Another app that helps disable the lock if the password or pattern isn’t working. It supports various unlocking methods, such as removing passwords, fingerprint locks, and patterns.
- iMyFone LockWiper: Helps unlock Android devices, including popular models like Itel, Techno, and Infinix. It’s suitable for most Chinese smartphones and can reset the password or format the device if needed.
These programs work the same way. To reset the password, install the program on your PC and connect your smartphone via a USB cable. After that, the program will scan and analyze the device, determine the OS version and lock type, and then offer available options. Usually, these programs can reset the old password, even if a child entered a random combination and you have no idea what it might be.