It is frustrating to get stuck out of our phone. In fact, it happens more often than you can imagine. People forget their password or PIN code and can no longer log in. In any case, relax as there are workarounds that will allow you to unlock your phone without a PIN or password. This is exactly what we are going to talk about in this article. So, without further ado, let's get started.
The main purpose of a password or PIN is to prevent others from accessing the content on your phone. Both make sure that no one but you, whether it's a friend or a stranger, can use your phone. A mobile phone is an extremely personal device that holds your photos, videos, messages, emails, private files, etc. And you don't want anyone, not even as a joke, to access it.
Furthermore, your phone is also a tool for accessing social media and the lock screen does not allow anyone but you to access your Whatsapp, Facebook etc.
How to unlock phone without PIN or password
Method 1: Use Google's Find My Device service
This is a simple and straightforward method that works with older Android devices. Google has a Find My Device service which comes in handy when your device is lost or stolen.
By using your Google account, you can not only track the location of your device, but also control some of its functions. You can play a sound on the device and it helps you locate it. You can also lock the phone and wipe the data on the device.
- To unlock your phone, open Google Find My Device on your computer and select your device.
- Subsequently, tap the Lock or Protect device option.
- A new window will now appear on the screen where you can set a new password for the device. There is also the option to add a phone number and recovery message.
- Setting a new password will overwrite the existing password / PIN / pattern lock. You can now log into your phone with this new password.
- The only requirement for this method to work is that you must be logged in to your Google account on your phone.
Method 2: use your Google account to unlock a phone without knowing the password
For Android devices older than Android 5.0 there is the possibility to unlock the phone using your Google account.
If you've forgotten your PIN or password, your Google account credentials can act as a backup password that can be used to bypass the PIN lock.
After unlocking your phone using Google account, you can reset your password. Follow the steps given below to see how.
- First, enter the wrong PIN code several times. Since you don't remember the actual one, everything you enter will be an incorrect PIN.
- Now, after 5-6 times, the option "Forgot Password”Will appear on the screen.
- Tap it and on the next screen you will be asked to enter your backup PIN or your Google account credentials.
- If you don't have a backup pin set, you won't be able to use that option.
- Time enter your Google account username and password in the designated space and tap the login button.
- The device will be unlocked and the previous PIN or password will be deleted. Now you can set a new password for the lock screen.
Method 3: For Samsung smartphones, use the Find My Mobile service
If you own a Samsung smartphone, you have an additional means of unlocking the phone without the PIN. That is, using the Find My Mobile tool.
However, the only prerequisite for using this method is to have a Samsung account and to be logged into this account on the phone. If these conditions are met in your case, please follow the steps given below to unlock your mobile.
- First, on a computer or laptop, open Samsung's official website Find My Mobile.
- Time log into your Samsung account by entering your credentials.
- Subsequently, go to the Find My Mobile section and search for your mobile in the list of registered devices.
- Select your phone and tap the option "Unlock my screen" in the left sidebar.
- Now tap the Unlock button and wait a few minutes for the tool to do its job.
- Your phone will now be unlocked and you will receive a notification for the same. You can now use your phone as usual and set a new PIN or password if you wish.
Method 4: unlock phone without PIN or password using Smart Lock
The previous methods we were discussing only work on older Android smartphones running Android Kitkat (4.4) or earlier. Now in Android 5.0 a new feature called Smart Lock has been introduced.
Smartphones using stock Android have this feature. It mainly depends on the brand of the smartphone. Some OEMs provide this functionality while others do not. So if you are lucky, you will be able to use it to unlock your phone without the PIN.
It allows you to bypass the primary password or pattern lock under certain circumstances. This could be a familiar environment such as when the device is connected to home Wi-Fi or connected to a trusted Bluetooth device. Below is the list of various options that can be set as a smart lock:
a) Trusted places: You can unlock your device if you are connected to home Wi-Fi. So if you forget your master password, simply go home and use the smart lock feature to enter.
b) Reliable face: the Most modern Android smartphones are equipped with facial recognition and can be used as an alternative to the password / PIN.
c) Trusted device: you can also unlock your phone using a trusted device such as a Bluetooth headset.
d) Trusted Voice: some Android smartphones, especially those running on Stock Android like Google Pixel or Nexus, allow you to unlock your device using your voice.
e) Body detection: the smartphone is able to detect that the device is on your person and, therefore, it is unlocked. This feature, however, has its drawbacks as it is not very safe.
It will unlock the device regardless of who owns it. As soon as the motion sensors detect any activity, they unlock the phone. Only when the mobile is stationary and lying somewhere will it get stuck. Therefore, enabling this feature is usually not recommended.
Note that to unlock your phone using a smart lock, you need to set it up first. You can find the Smart Lock feature in your Settings under Security and Location.
All of these settings and features described above require you to give them the green light to unlock your device. So make sure you set at least a couple of them to save you in case you forget your password.
Method 5: Use third party apps and software to unlock password protected Android phone without losing data
Another alternative is to ask third party apps and software like dr.fone for help. It is a comprehensive toolkit that allows you to control your phone using a computer.
One of the many services of dr.fone is that of Screen Unlock. It allows you to bypass and remove the existing screen lock. Whether it's a PIN, password, pattern or fingerprint, dr.fone's screen unlock can help you get rid of it in minutes.
Below is a step by step guide to using dr.fone to unlock your smartphone without PIN or password.
- The first thing you need to do is download and install the software on your computer.
- After that, launch the program and click on the option Unlock screen.
- Time connect the phone to your computer using a USB cable e tap the Start button.
- Next, select your phone model from the list of devices provided.
- To confirm it is necessary enter "000000" in the designated box and then touch the button Confirmation. Make sure to double check your phone's make and model before Confirming as a wrong selection could have serious negative consequences (your phone could be reduced to a brick).
- The program will now ask you to put the phone in Download mode. Simply follow the onscreen instructions and your device will be ready to download the recovery package.
- Now just wait for the recovery package to download to your device.
- Once completed, you will be able to completely remove the screen lock or password. Make sure the PIN code you set up next is easy so you don't forget it.
Method 6: use Android Debug Bridge (ADB)
To use this method, USB debugging must be enabled on your phone. This option is available in Developer Options and allows you to access your phone files via a computer.
ADB is used to enter a series of codes into the device via a computer to eliminate the program that controls the phone lock. Therefore, it will disable any existing passwords or PINs.
Also, your device cannot be encrypted. New Android devices are encrypted by default and hence this method only works for old Android devices.
Before starting with this process, you need to make sure you have Android Studio installed on your computer and set it up correctly. Next, follow the below-given steps to unlock your device using ADB.
- First, connect your mobile phone to the computer via a USB cable.
- Now open one window of Command Prompt within the platform-tools folder. You can do this by pressing Shift + right click and then select the option to open command window here.
- Once the Command Prompt window opens, type the following code and then press Enter: adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key
- After that, restarts simply the device.
- You will see that the device is no longer locked.
- Now set a new PIN or password for your mobile phone.
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You were able to unlock your phone without a PIN or password
We hope that you find this information useful and that you have been able to unlock your smartphone without the PIN. Being locked out of your device is a frustrating experience and we hope that using the solutions listed in this article will unlock your device soon. However, most of these methods work best on older smartphones.
New Android smartphones have much higher encryption and security and it's really hard to unlock your phone if you forget your PIN or password.
You may have to opt for a last resort, which is a factory data reset. You will lose all your data but at least you will be able to use the phone again.
For this reason, it's always a good idea to back up your data as and when possible. Once the factory reset is complete, you can download all your personal files from the cloud or another backup drive.
