I forgot the pin to my phone

What to do if you forgot your Android pin, password, or pattern and can’t get past the lock screen?

I know it can be extremely stressful and upsetting to be locked out of your phone. I’ve been there many times before and it’s no fun.

Luckily these steps in this guide will help you recover your Android device if you forgot your pin, password, or pattern. Let’s get started.

Steps to Unlock Android Phone

1. Method 1: Unlock Android Phone with Google Account
2. Method 2: Unlock Android Phone with Find My Device
3. Method 3: Unlock Android Phone with Factory Data Reset
4. Method 4: Unlock Android Phone Without Losing Data

Method 1: Unlock Android Phone with Google Account

Screenshot: Herby Jasmin/Gotechtor

If you’ve incorrectly entered your password five times, your phone will be locked out on the sixth time. You’ll have to wait for 30 seconds before attempting again. If you still can’t remember your password, you’ll have to admit you forget it.

To do so, click on the “Forgot pattern” button. Once you do that, you’ll be prompted a screen to enter the Google account associated with your device. After you’ve successfully logged in with your Gmail and password, you can now draw a new pattern.

You should note this method only works for Android phones running Android 4.4 KitKat or older. Your phone also needs to have an internet connection for this method to work.

Method 2: Unlock Android Phone with Find My Device

For Android devices running Android 4.4 and above, Find My Device (Formerly known as Android Device Manager) used to be one way to unlock your Android device.

With recent updates, you can only use it to locate a missing phone or tablet using the web or another device and to display a message or phone number to the screen in case someone found your lost device.

However, if you own a Samsung phone, and if you added a Samsung account to your Samsung device, you’re in luck. Samsung has a similar feature called “Find My Mobile” that lets you unlock your Samsung device. Please, follow the steps below:

Keep in mind, the “Remote unlock” feature needs to have been enabled first for this method to work. It’s turned on by default when you add a Samsung account to your Samsung device.

1. Open the Find My Mobile website on your favorite browser.
2. Sign in with the same Samsung account that is linked to your locked Samsung device.
3. From the list, choose the Samsung device you wish to unlock.
4. Once your device has been located, click Unlock, and then click Unlock again.
5. When prompted, enter your Samsung account password, and then click Next to finish.

This will reset the Lock screen security type you’ve originally set up to swipe only.

Method 3: Unlock Android Phone with Factory Data Reset

Steps to Factory Reset a Google Pixel phone. Herby Jasmin/Gotechtor

If for some reason you can’t log in to your Google account or you were using your Android phone without a Google account, you may need to perform a factory reset. Here’s how to do that:

1. Turn off your Android device
2. Hold down the Power button and Volume Down key for a few seconds until you see the logo of your device. Once the logo shows up on the screen, release the Power button but keep holding on to the Volume Down key until your phone enters into recovery mode.
3. Use the volume key to navigate the menu and the Power button to select. Go to “Wipe Data/Factory Reset”, it will erase everything (settings and data) on your phone. That’s why it’s always good to back up your Android phone.

Once you reset your Android phone, you’ll have to set up your phone again from scratch. It’s recommended to remove the SD card if your phone has one. It will ensure any files stored there to be preserved.

Method 4: Unlock Android Phone Without Losing Data

Screenshot: Courtesy of dr.fone

If you don’t have a Google account and don’t want to factory reset your phone, your best option is to use an Android Lock Screen Removal tool. Dr.Fone is a good option, go ahead, download, and install it on your computer.

Follow these steps below:

1. Download and install the software on your computer.
2. Click on “Unlock” from the main screen
3. A new window will show up, then connect your phone to the computer with a USB cable
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to enter your phone into Download Mode
5. The software will download the appropriate recovery package for your phone
6. Once the download is complete, the software will perform a complete analysis of your device and remove the password.

This process should only take a few mins, and your phone will restart and your password/pattern or pin will be removed. There shouldn’t be any data loss during this process.

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