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Android Pattern Lock ..... Help needed



Technohead

Active member
Aug 10, 2013
191
Burgess Hill
Young master Technohead got a nice new Motorola G4 recently. Yesterday he foolishly changed the pattern he uses to lock the phone without committing said pattern to his own internal memory bank. Result ..... he can't access his phone. Seems that the latest versions of android no longer allow reset or bypass of the lock code with your google account, so it seems the only thing that can be done is a factory reset, the possibility of which has reduced Technohead junior to tears as he will lose all his (unbacked up) data, including photos from a once in a lifetime school trip he recently went on.

Lesson learnt hopefully for the youngster, but I did mention to him that the good folk at NSC, with a wealthy of experience and knowledge, might be able to provide a solution that would negate the need for a reset. :bowdown:
 


AmexRuislip

Trainee Spy 🕵️‍♂️
Feb 2, 2014
33,727
Ruislip
0
Young master Technohead got a nice new Motorola G4 recently. Yesterday he foolishly changed the pattern he uses to lock the phone without committing said pattern to his own internal memory bank. Result ..... he can't access his phone. Seems that the latest versions of android no longer allow reset or bypass of the lock code with your google account, so it seems the only thing that can be done is a factory reset, the possibility of which has reduced Technohead junior to tears as he will lose all his (unbacked up) data, including photos from a once in a lifetime school trip he recently went on.

Lesson learnt hopefully for the youngster, but I did mention to him that the good folk at NSC, with a wealthy of experience and knowledge, might be able to provide a solution that would negate the need for a reset. :bowdown:

Surely if all of his photos would have been backed up automatically to Google, a reset if possible.
Can you check on Google drive on a normal computer, for their photos? :)

https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6156103?co=GENIE.Platform=Android&hl=en
 




Technohead

Active member
Aug 10, 2013
191
Burgess Hill
0

Surely if all of his photos would have been backed up automatically to Google, a reset if possible.
Can you check on Google drive on a normal computer, for their photos? :)

https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6156103?co=GENIE.Platform=Android&hl=en

Unfortunately not .... another lesson learned, this time by me. As he's too young to have his own google account (should have just lied about his age) I set it up with my google account on google play. But didn't want his contacts, calendar entries, etc syncing with mine so disabled syncing, which also in turn meant none of his photos were saved to google drive. Lessons I have learned include:-

1) set up smart lock so there is always an alternative method of unlocking the phone
2) enable USB debugging so ADB commands can be used
3) don't believe that every new version of android is better than the previous one in all aspects

Thanks for the useful comments though.
 






Swillis

Banned
Dec 10, 2015
1,568
Unfortunately not .... another lesson learned, this time by me. As he's too young to have his own google account (should have just lied about his age) I set it up with my google account on google play. But didn't want his contacts, calendar entries, etc syncing with mine so disabled syncing, which also in turn meant none of his photos were saved to google drive. Lessons I have learned include:-

1) set up smart lock so there is always an alternative method of unlocking the phone
2) enable USB debugging so ADB commands can be used
3) don't believe that every new version of android is better than the previous one in all aspects

Thanks for the useful comments though.

Have you tried the wrong pattern five times? As that's when the email recovery should come up.
 


Green Cross Code Man

Wunt be druv
Mar 30, 2006
19,632
Eastbourne
Unfortunately not .... another lesson learned, this time by me. As he's too young to have his own google account (should have just lied about his age) I set it up with my google account on google play. But didn't want his contacts, calendar entries, etc syncing with mine so disabled syncing, which also in turn meant none of his photos were saved to google drive. Lessons I have learned include:-

1) set up smart lock so there is always an alternative method of unlocking the phone
2) enable USB debugging so ADB commands can be used
3) don't believe that every new version of android is better than the previous one in all aspects

Thanks for the useful comments though.

I presume you don't have device manager installed on your son's phone?
 






Green Cross Code Man

Wunt be druv
Mar 30, 2006
19,632
Eastbourne
https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager?u=0

Click the link and sign in(Device manager) with your email, it should give you the option to unlock, ring, etc

Edit: make sure phone is on
Probably have to go through motions of locking it, then entera new password on device manager and then unlock. Then the option to enter the new password is given on the phone. And of course, it depends on whether the device manager is already on the phone itself!
 




Technohead

Active member
Aug 10, 2013
191
Burgess Hill
https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager?u=0

Click the link and sign in(Device manager) with your email, it should give you the option to unlock, ring, etc

Edit: make sure phone is on

Device manager in latest android doesn't work .... they have tightened up the security so that when you go to the lock option and try and put in a new passcode it just comes up with "Since google has verified that a screen lock is already set, the password that you entered won’t be needed".
 




Green Cross Code Man

Wunt be druv
Mar 30, 2006
19,632
Eastbourne
Device manager in latest android doesn't work .... they have tightened up the security so that when you go to the lock option and try and put in a new passcode it just comes up with "Since google has verified that a screen lock is already set, the password that you entered won’t be needed".
Do you get this screen? This is on android nougat but I'm not sure offhand when the device manager app was updated.


3c044f113787ead0822bd3ff7ae79363.jpg
 


Technohead

Active member
Aug 10, 2013
191
Burgess Hill
Do you get this screen? This is on android nougat but I'm not sure offhand when the device manager app was updated.


3c044f113787ead0822bd3ff7ae79363.jpg

Yes .... enter the new password and confirm password then press lock .... the phone does indeed lock but because there is already a pattern lock on the phone android retains that lock rather than using the new password.
 


StonehamPark

#Brighton-Nil
Oct 30, 2010
9,762
BC, Canada
Can you boot the phone in safe mode, then sync his phone to your gmail account/transfer docs via usb?

If not, transfer a zip file from this website onto a micro SD, pop the SD into the phone, boot into recovery, flash the file whilst in recovery, reboot, et voila.

More here (scroll down to Disable your lock screen using custom recovery and “Pattern Password Disable”).
 
Last edited:




Technohead

Active member
Aug 10, 2013
191
Burgess Hill
Can you boot the phone in safe mode, then sync his phone to your gmail account/transfer docs via usb?

If not, transfer a zip file from this website onto a micro SD, pop the SD into the phone, boot into recovery, flash the file whilst in recovery, reboot, et voila.

More here (scroll down to Disable your lock screen using custom recovery and “Pattern Password Disable”).

Thank you StonehamPark. Safe mode still wont allow usb connection recognition, so thats a no go.

Have also tried the flash file route, but stock android recovery does not recognise an external SD Card. Entering the Recovery Mode and selecting "Apply update from SD Card" will only show a path on the internal memory and there is no way of changing the path to the actual SD Card.

Dont think there is anything more I can do so factory reset it is I guess. Thank you to everyone for their suggestions.
 


Green Cross Code Man

Wunt be druv
Mar 30, 2006
19,632
Eastbourne
Yes .... enter the new password and confirm password then press lock .... the phone does indeed lock but because there is already a pattern lock on the phone android retains that lock rather than using the new password.
Gutted. Out of interest, what phone is it? I always install a custom recovery on mine, helps in a situation like this.

Edit: just seen that it's a Motorola g4.
 


StonehamPark

#Brighton-Nil
Oct 30, 2010
9,762
BC, Canada
Thank you StonehamPark. Safe mode still wont allow usb connection recognition, so thats a no go.

Have also tried the flash file route, but stock android recovery does not recognise an external SD Card. Entering the Recovery Mode and selecting "Apply update from SD Card" will only show a path on the internal memory and there is no way of changing the path to the actual SD Card.

Dont think there is anything more I can do so factory reset it is I guess. Thank you to everyone for their suggestions.

Can you get onto the phone's main menu/home screen whilst in safe mode?
 



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