Our mobile phones hold critical data but occasionally, we forget how to unlock our device. Sometimes, we have made changes to our passwords or unlock patterns, but we never jot it down. The next time you need to unlock your device, you cannot figure out what to do. Maybe, you handed over your phone to a friend or a child for a while, and they set a password, as a prank, or by mistake. You may have damaged the mobile phone’s screen and you cannot type in the passcode or swipe unlock the device. What does one do in such cases? How do you recover data from it, or log back in? The solutions are not simple, and we have a few suggestions worth trying out. These could also be precautions you could take to make sure you don’t lock yourself out.
If your phone has a lock, that can be unlocked only using a pattern or a face ID, or fingerprint, Android typically enforces the use of a 4-digit unlock code. You can try to remember it and you should be able to log back into your device. Once in, you can head over to the Settings > Security & Lock Screen menu and set a new fingerprint or a new pattern unlock.
Using ADB to remotely control and unlock the mobile phone
This is one of the more complex ways of unlocking your device. ADB is a feature that allows you to connect your mobile phone to a PC using a USB cable, and also over Wi-Fi. It allows you to remotely connect to the mobile phone, even install and uninstall apps too. Most importantly, it lets you make remote entries on your phone, even unlock the device. Although this may require that you already had ADB enabled from the Settings menu. If you’re already locked out, you’re in bad luck. To enable ADB though, you can head over to the Settings > About phone, then tap the Build number menu option about five times. Once the developer mode is enabled, you can enable the ADB option under the Settings > System > Developer Options screen
Using the smart lock feature
Google had introduced a smart feature a few years ago, that allowed you to unlock your android mobile phone only when using a paired device, or location. For example, you could have the phone unlocked if you were on your desk at work, or at home, or if you had known and paired Bluetooth earphones or speaker nearby. Again, this feature had to be enabled to be used. If you have locked yourself out of your mobile phone, simply turn on your Bluetooth devices that were configured with the Smart Lock feature.
Remotely erasing data from a locked, lost phone
Google integrated a feature called Find my device feature that lets you remotely find your device, even leave a message to the person who finds your phone. Another feature that might be of interest, is one that lets you remotely erasing all data from your phone. Remember, this is only if you feel like you are never going to find your phone, and if you have your data backed up. A completely cleaned phone maybe used again. This could be a last-ditch effort.
Trying different patterns and codes
Unlocking the phone can also be done using the traditional method. It’s painful, because you will need to try out all the combinations and permutations. If it’s your password, you may have a range of commonly used passwords. If this process is annoying, you can also try connecting a USB keyboard to the phone using an OTG adapter. You should be able to eventually get into the device. Remember, Android puts a limit to wrong attempts and you will need to try again after a few seconds. ADB can also be used to run a remote keyboard from your PC or laptop.
Resetting your phone
One of the final efforts, not so much to unlock your device, and access data, but just being able to use your phone, is by resetting it. You are going to lose all the installed apps and the data on the device, but you will be able to use the phone again. To do this, depending on the manufacturer, you may need to hold down a combination of power and volume buttons. This will allow you to boot into the bootloader or recovery of the device. Here, you can format the phone. Remember, do this at your own risk, and if you know what you are doing.
Being cautious installing apps claiming to unlock your phone
We recently wrote a feature around recovering lost data from a mobile phone. However, like with data recovery apps, unlocking apps also can be a farce. One needs to be particularly careful about trying them. Some may be malware disguised as a legit phone recovery app. Remember, unlocking your device is a challenging task and it’s what makes mobile phones these days so secure. It is nearly impossible to break in.
Those were some of our suggestions on unlocking your Android mobile phones, and some tips on ensuring that does not happen to you. If you would like more tips and tricks on using products you already own, keep visiting us here at reliancedigital.in.
