So you forgot your smartphone passcode and your device is locked? Don’t worry, this happens more often than you think.

There are several ways to lock your smartphone. You may have found your old phone in the midst of a mess, and while trying to log in, you realize you forgot your password. You might be used to using a fingerprint scanner or face recognition on your smartphone and don’t quite remember the backup password.

Remember that if you restart your device, you will need to enter your password manually before you can continue using the biometrics settings. You may have recently updated your password for security reasons, but haven’t quite remembered it yet.

Whatever the reason, we’re here to get you back into your smartphone. You can use several methods. Check out your options below.

Clear device data using Google “Find My Device“

Pay attention to this option: erase all information on the device and return it to factory settings, as with the first purchase. This is a delicate option if you don’t have a backup of your information on your device, but it’s an effective way to get back to a locked device.

To use this method, you also need to sign in to your Google account on your device. If so, open the Google Find My Device page in a web browser from a computer, tablet, or other smartphone. If the service has identified your phone, it will show information about the device, including name, date it was discovered, carrier, and battery percentage.

If the service doesn’t find your device, press the update button until it is found. If your device is signed into your Google account, it will eventually take over the device.

From here, select “Erase Device” and select it again for the second step. You will then be redirected to the Google login page where you will need to enter your Google account details. Do this and the process will begin. Once complete, you will be able to set up your smartphone as a new device and set a password that you can remember.

Factory settings

As in the first option, this will delete all information on the device and restore the factory settings. However, this is an option that you can use without opening the Google Find My Device page.

To use this option, you must boot your device into recovery mode. The standard way to do this is to turn off your device and hold down the power button and volume down button at the same time. This will take you to the device bootloader.

The function may differ depending on the device. On some devices, you may need to hold down the power button and the volume up button. For example, newer Samsung devices require you to hold down the power button, volume up button, and the Bixby button to access the bootloader.

Once in the bootloader, use the volume keys to enter recovery mode and press the power button to enter. In recovery mode go to Wipe data / factory reset.

Press the power button to confirm your selection and your device will reboot and erase all your data. Once complete, you will be able to set up your smartphone as a new device with a password that you can remember.

Be aware that on newer Android devices, you may need to enter your Google account email and password before you can perform a factory reset. The reset should then go smoothly.

Safe Mode option

Please note that this option only works if your smartphone has a custom third-party lock screen instead of the default lock screen. This feature works because Safe Mode disables all third-party applications while you are logged in this way.

To boot into Safe Mode, press the Power button on your smartphone and press and hold the Power Off option. This will immediately prompt a prompt asking if you want to reboot into safe mode. Select OK and your device will reboot.

In safe mode, the third-party lock screen will be disabled. From here you can reset your password or uninstall the app. Restart your device again and you should be able to access the home screen without entering a password. You can then set a new password in your third party app if you like, or set a password in the default Android settings.

Open with Samsung “Find My Mobile” website

Please note that if you do not have a Samsung account set up, you will not be able to use this option. Overall, it is a very easy way for Samsung users to reset their password and regain access to their smartphone. Open the Samsung Find My Mobile page in a web browser from a computer, tablet, or other smartphone.

Sign in to your Samsung account and select the Lock Screen option. You will see the option to enter a new PIN. Enter a new PIN and select the Block option.

Use this new PIN to sign in to your device, but keep in mind that the code is only for Find My Mobile You will need to set a permanent password in your device’s security settings in order to keep access to your smartphone.

Access to Android Debug Bridge (ADB)

Please note that this is an advanced feature that only works if your smartphone is rooted and you already have Android Debug Bridge (ADB) installed on your mobile device and computer (part of the Android SDK tools). It is best not to try this option if you are not very familiar with these tools.

You may also have problems with this option if your device is encrypted by default. Otherwise, resetting your password with ADB is a quick plug and play method. Basically, it deletes the password file on your smartphone, allowing you to log in directly to the home screen after restarting.

Connect your smartphone to your Windows, Mac or Linux computer via a USB data cable. Go to the ADB installation directory and open a command prompt window.

Enter the command – adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key – and press Enter. If you have a Mac or Linux computer, you can open a terminal window located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.

Once you’ve done that, restart your phone and you should be able to access your device without a password. After you log into your device, you will need to set a permanent password as this method is a temporary measure.

“Forgot pattern” option

This option is mostly suitable for older phones running Android 4.4 or earlier, but if your device meets the requirements, it’s a good option for easy access to your phone. The forgotten template function is exclusive to the template style password.

This will allow you to reset your password from the lock screen after five failed attempts. After that, enter the wrong password again, and you will see a notification where you can unlock the device using the security question or wait 30 seconds to try again. If you have a security question or backup PIN and remember the details, this is also an option with this method.

If not, select “Forgot template?” at the bottom of the screen, and then select Enter Google Account Information, if available. Some devices may go directly to the next step, where you can enter the Gmail username and password associated with your device.

Select “Sign In” and you will receive an email to this account where you can draw a new template access code, save it and use the pass code to re-login on your device.

Emergency Call Trick

This option is suitable for older phones that are encrypted and work with system versions from Android 5.0 to 5.1.1. This was a vulnerability that has since been patched in older versions of Android. However, for those with the right software, this is a great way to bypass the lock screen and gain access to your smartphone.

Essentially, this causes the lock screen UI to crash, thus bypassing the password requirement and logging in. Note that this option is very temperamental and is not guaranteed to be effective.

Select the emergency call function from the locked screen of your device. Once the dialer appears, enter 10 stars. Double-tap the star to highlight characters. After making sure they are all selected, select the Copy option.

Position the cursor at the end of the first set of asterisks and paste another set into the field. Repeat this copy and paste function until the field is full and you can no longer select it.

After that, go back to the lock screen and open the camera. Open the notification drop-down menu and select the settings icon. From here you will be prompted for a password.

Once again, paste the previously copied asterisks into the password field by holding the space bar and choosing Paste. Repeat this step until the lock screen crashes and the home screen reappears on your device.

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