Forgetting your phone’s password or PIN can be quite frustrating. In the past, Android phones had a reputation for being relatively insecure, but that has changed quite a bit in recent years. Both Samsung and Google have taken steps to make their devices more secure, so if you forget your phone’s password, unlocking it isn’t a simple process.
Here are some of the methods you can use to unlock your Samsung phone if you forget the password.
1. Use the Find my mobile function
The Find My Mobile feature on Samsung is by far the best way to unlock your account. If you get locked out, you just need to go to Find my mobile. From there, follow these steps:
- Go to Unlock.
- You will be prompted to enter your Samsung account password.
- Once you have entered your password, click Next.
- Another pop-up window will appear telling you that your device has been unlocked.
- Now you can unlock the phone and enter a new PIN code or password.
It is important to note that for this to work, the device must be powered on and should be connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network. More importantly, Remote unlocking must be enabled on your device as well. If you haven’t set this up already, you should do so now.
2. Use the Google Find My Device feature
You can also try to unlock your phone using Google’s lost device tool. For this option to work, you must first enable Find My Device as an admin app. To do so, go to Settingsand search for Device management apps. From the list of device management apps, enable Find My Device as shown below.
- Once approved, open the Find My Device link on your computer.
- From here, go to Secure deviceand enter a recovery message if you want.
- Google remotely locks your device. Now follow the on-screen instructions to unlock your phone. You will be prompted to add a new password on your device and it will bypass the Samsung password screen.
- Once your phone is unlocked, you can disable the temporary password through the settings and replace it with your own.
It is important to note that this method will not work unless you have set Find My Device as an admin app. So if you haven’t set it up from the start, you won’t be able to use this method at all.
3. Reset the device to factory defaults
The last resort is to reset the device to factory defaults. But it’s harder to do when you’re locked out of the phone itself. To do this, follow these steps:
- The first step is to turn off the device. To do this, press Power/Bixby and Volume up keys at the same time.
- The phone will reboot. Continue to hold Power key until you see the Android logo on the screen.
- Now enter the Android system recovery menu. Touch won’t work so you have to use Volume down key to scroll to Wipe data/Factory reset.
- Print Power key to confirm the selection.
- When the device resets, select Reboot the system now.
Of course, with this method, you will lose all your data, but at least you will gain access to your account. For security reasons, you must sign in to your Google account before you can set up your phone again.
And if you remember your Samsung password and had backups turned on, you can just restore the last backup! Backing up data on your Samsung phone is quite easy.
Outdated or misleading methods
Now, it is relevant to mention here that although there were several other methods, they no longer work. Android security has come a long way in recent years, and Samsung has also upped its game, even if it’s not as secure as you might think it is. Here are some methods you may find elsewhere on the web that no longer work:
- You cannot boot into safe mode and unlock your Samsung phone this way anymore. Without a password, it simply won’t let you into the device even after booting up.
- You cannot call your locked phone and just press Back to unlock the device. This was a popular exploit, but it no longer works.
- You can’t take it to a Samsung service center and expect them to unlock it for you. They will ask you to unlock the device before handing it over.
Avoid third-party apps or services that make high demands
There are many third-party apps and services that claim to unlock your Samsung password for you. These programs usually do not work.
Google and Samsung have doubled down on encryption and security, so it’s unwise to think that an app can unlock your device. It may be tempting to pay a fee and download software that unlocks your phone, but these third-party programs have no success.
Some may even ask for a one-time fee to recover your password, often claiming to get the key directly from Samsung or your carrier.
It doesn’t work either, because your phone’s PIN or password is encrypted. No one has access to it, including Google or Samsung. Samsung officially recommends that your best option is to use the Find My Device option or to factory reset your phone.
Many people often get emotional and worried about losing their phone password and end up trusting these sites or downloading free software to unlock their phones. They simply do not work and you will only end up losing your money.
The best thing you can do is connect your Samsung account and enable Find My Device, as both of these methods can help you unlock your device in case you forget your password.
Samsung and Android continue to tighten security
Like Apple, Samsung has continued to tighten security, and Android has also doubled down. Android once had a reputation for not offering adequate security, but all that has changed. Today, Samsung phones are some of the most secure devices in the world.
With Samsung Knox and the arrival of new features in One UI 4.1, the company has further tightened security on its devices.
Make sure you don’t waste your money on third-party services or apps that target customers without a technical understanding of what goes on behind the scenes.
