How To Reset Android Phone When Locked?
Although it is always recommended to keep the screen of an android phone locked due to security reasons, sometimes, the phone may get permanently locked due to wrong password attempts, a technical problem, or any other reason.
If your phone has become inaccessible and locked due to any such reason, you can reset it to factory settings by following a few steps and gain access again.
However, this will obviously cost you your data. Almost every Android phone today has sensitive data.
Whether it is your photos, videos, other private media, or your financial apps, it only makes sense to keep the screen locked for protecting precious data.
However, if unfortunately it gets permanently locked, you can access your phone after restoring it to factory settings.
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How Do You Factory Reset An Android Phone When it’s Locked?
Press and hold simultaneously, the power button and the volume up button. As an interface appears on the screen, tap the option of recovery mode.
You will be given an option to clear all data from your phone. Select it and the phone will be restored to factory settings.
What Happens When You Reset An Android Phone?
Resetting an Android phone back to factory settings means all your data will be erased from your phone.
This not only includes all the media, like photos and videos, but also the data related to installed apps on the phone.
So, if you plan on resetting your phone to factory settings, make sure you have safely backed up the data that matters to you.
For example, you can back up your data to your Google Account periodically to make sure you will never lose anything important.
How To Reset Android Phone When Locked?
If your Android phone has become inaccessible and the screen is locked, you can restore it to factory settings and gain access again.
However, your data will be lost unless it is securely backed up. Here are some of the methods to reset your Android phone when locked:
01. Recovery Mode
Recovery Mode in an android device is a special partition built in to provide advanced features in order to troubleshoot or fix system issues.
Factory Reset is one of the advanced features in this mode, which can be used to reset an android device to factory settings.
Entering recovery mode requires combination of different buttons for different devices.
Typically, recovery mode can be accessed via pressing power and volume buttons simultaneously while the device is booting up.
- Press and hold the volume up button and the power button simultaneously.
- On the screen that appears, choose recovery mode.
- Now select the option to erase all data and confirm your choice, the phone will be reset to factory settings.
02. ADB Command Prompt
ADB, short for Android Debug Bridge, is like a secret communication system for your android device and your computer. It lets them talk to each other using special commands.
Note: Android SDK must be installed in your computer and USB Debugging must be enabled in your device to perform any task via ADB commands.
- Connect your Android device to your computer via USB cable.
- Open the command prompt on your computer.
- Start by entering the command ‘adb devices’ and you will see your Android phone listed.
- if you use a PIN or password on your lock screen, enter the following command in your computer’s command prompt,
adb shell input text XXXX && adb shell input keyevent 66
- Here, put your PIN and password instead of ‘xxxx’ in the above prompt.
- If you use a pattern to unlock your phone, enter the following command prompt,
Example: adb shell input touchscreen swipe 930 880 930 380
In the above prompt, the numbers are given as an example, i.e. you will enter the numbers according to your swipe pattern for lock screen.
- Enter the command adb shell recovery –wipe_data to format your device
03. Google Find My Device
This method can be used only if you have the location of your phone turned own, a Google Account already set up, and the Find My Device feature enabled.
- On your computer or any other device, go to the official Find My Device website and log in to your Google account that you used on the locked device.
- Tap the ‘lock’ option and then the ‘unlock’ option.
- Now you can use a temporary password. Once you have entered a new password, confirm it by re-entering and now you can use this new password to unlock your device.
- You can also select Erase Device option to reset your android device.
However, keep in mind that this method can be used only if your device has internet connectivity and is turned on.
04. Using DroidKit To Unlock Samsung Phone
DroidKit is a software program designed to help troubleshoot and fix common Android issues. It offers a variety of tools for:
- Data Recovery
- System Repair
- Unlock Screen
Here is a simple guide to use DroidKit to Unlock Samsung Phone
- Install Droid Kit for free on your computer and open it.
- On the top left corner, select ‘screen unlocker’.
- Hit the ‘start’ button in the bottom.
- On the next screen that appears, select the ‘remove now’ option.
- Depending on your phone’s model, you will be given instructions on which buttons to press and hold on your phone.
- Finally, the message appears ‘screen lock removal completed’. Now you can access your phone.
What If I Forgot My PIN To Unlock My Phone?
if you are denied access to your phone because your screen is locked and you forgot the PIN, you can reset your phone by selecting recovery mode and erasing all data.
Alternatively, you can also use ADB prompt by connecting your phone to computer with a USB, or use the Google Find My Device option.
How Do I Force My Android To Factory Reset?
Press and hold the power and volume up buttons at the same time. Select recovery mode, and then select erase all data option.
Confirm your choice, and the Android phone will be reset. However, you will lose your data if you have not backed it up.
How Do You Stop Your Phone From Locking?
- In your phone’s settings, go to ‘security and privacy’ settings.
- Select the ‘device unlock’ option.
- Then tap the ‘screen lock’ button and you will be asked to enter a ‘passcode’.
- Select ‘none’ and the passcode will be removed.
However, not locking your screen means everyone will have access to your phone and hence also to your sensitive data.
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Factory Reset Android Phone When Locked?
Use recovery mode by pressing down and holding the power button and volume up key. Then erase all data and your phone will be factory reset.
How To Reset Android Phone When Locked Using Computer?
You can use ADb command prompt method, or Google Find My Device to unlock a locked Android phone using computer.
How To Reset Android Phone When Locked Without Password?
You can use the recovery mode method to reset your Android phone without providing a password.
How To Reset Android Phone When Locked Samsung?
you can reset a Samsung locked phone by using recovery method and erasing all data. Or you can also use Kits like Droid Kit on your computer to reset your Samsung phone.
How To Unlock Android Phone If Forgot Pattern?
Try using the Recovery Mode method and erase all data to reset your phone to factory settings. Or you can also use ADB commond prompt by connecting your phone to computer.
Final Thoughts
It is always recommended that you remember your password or pattern or write it down securely so that you may not lose access to your phone due to a forgotton PIN or pattern.
However, if you do forget your password or the phone becomes locked due to a technical reason, you can still regain Access to it by factory resetting it through recovery mode or by ADB prompt method.
If you have already set up a Google Account and enabled Google Find By Device, you can also use this method to gain access to your phone.
However, always make sure you periodically backup your data so that you may not lose the important data in any such instance.