Database Users

[Q] Locked Out by Android Device Manager (help!)

I don't know if anyone is going to believe this. I decided to test Android Device Manager's lock feature. Worked fine on my tablet. Did not work right on my phone. Now I am locked out of my phone. It would not accept the PIN I selected. I tried sending different PINs and it won't accept any of them! When I change the "message," it does change but the PIN doesn't work.
1) Is there any way to fix this???
2) If not, ugh, if I send an ERASE command, will I be able to get back into the phone?
Help!!
Thanks!
Paul
(I don't know how to prove this isn't a stolen phone - I have full access to it via Device Manager in my google account)

Talked to AT&T. I was screwed. FYI for anyone else... The Android Device Manager Lock may not work right on the AT&T Galaxy S4.

The entire point of locking a phone through ADM is to render it useless for anyone that has stolen it or "found and tried to use it" if it was lost. It's not intended as a tool to be used day to day or for any other reason than loss or theft. As such, I don't see why there would be a need to re-activate the phone after locking it through ADM.
However, if it simply won't let you unlock the lock screen, why not use ODIN to re-flash the firmware and start fresh with an unlocked lock screen?

scott14719 said:
The entire point of locking a phone through ADM is to render it useless for anyone that has stolen it or "found and tried to use it" if it was lost.
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I should have posted more details. Actually, you can factory reset the phone and it comes out of it fine, albeit factory reset. It doesn't make the phone useless. It just protects the data on your phone with the standard PIN lock screen. It's certainly no kill switch.
To add more info to this - it literally changes the lock screen setting to PIN lock. So, for example, on my tablet, I had a pattern lock. Even after I unlocked it with the ADM PIN I sent, the next time it locked, it was the same PIN lock. I had to go back and change it to the pattern lock.
This is unlike the 3rd party solutions I have used in the past (e.g. Lookout, AVG) which overlay their own lock onto the phone one time only. Once you unlock through their PIN system, the device reverts to whatever locking method you had been using (or none).
This is just what I learned from the experience. Maybe people knew this but it was interesting to me.

PaulQ602 said:
I should have posted more details. Actually, you can factory reset the phone and it comes out of it fine, albeit factory reset. It doesn't make the phone useless. It just protects the data on your phone with the standard PIN lock screen. It's certainly no kill switch.
To add more info to this - it literally changes the lock screen setting to PIN lock. So, for example, on my tablet, I had a pattern lock. Even after I unlocked it with the ADM PIN I sent, the next time it locked, it was the same PIN lock. I had to go back and change it to the pattern lock.
This is unlike the 3rd party solutions I have used in the past (e.g. Lookout, AVG) which overlay their own lock onto the phone one time only. Once you unlock through their PIN system, the device reverts to whatever locking method you had been using (or none).
This is just what I learned from the experience. Maybe people knew this but it was interesting to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the additional info. It's nice to know how it works or is supposed to work. Starting mid-2014, all cell phones sold in the US will be required to have a "kill switch" available. I wonder if it will operate in the same way. I guess time will tell. Again, thanks for the info.

I do wish people who don't read a persons message properly and are not informed on the subject wouldn't waste every ones time posting their drivel aye Scott!
You like so many others state the obvious, I did like your post Paul and thank you for taking the time to post
I have had issues with ADM and have found the application about as useful as Scott's drivel

[Q] Fingerprint screen unlock with encrypted phone

One thing that I always hated about Samsung phones is that Samsung took it upon itself to prohibit use of a numeric PIN for device encryption. They decided that a 6-character alphanumeric password is the minimum they would settle for. This effectively prevents me from being able to use Samsung phones because I need to unlock my phone 100+ times a day and typing a 6-character alphanumeric password pretty much prevents any sort of one-handed operation.
So when S5 came out with a fingerprint reader, I was hoping that someone at Samsung would be smart enough to enable a fingerprint as a screen unlock method when device is encrypted. Not so! When you try to encrypt the device, it forces you to select a screen unlock method and the ONLY method it allows for is a regular password - the fingerprint method is "Turned off by administrator, encryption policy or credential storage".
Someone asked a similar question in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1873700&page=4 but nobody responded.
Can anyone suggest anything to get around this limitation? All I am trying to accomplish is to be able to use a fingerprint to unlock the screen on a Galaxy S5. Somehow Apple was able to accomplish this "ground breaking" feature on an iPhone 5s, so why can't Samsung be smart about it?

I'm in the same boat and agree 100%. Pretty much deters the use of full device encryption...

ek001 said:
One thing that I always hated about Samsung phones is that Samsung took it upon itself to prohibit use of a numeric PIN for device encryption. They decided that a 6-character alphanumeric password is the minimum they would settle for. This effectively prevents me from being able to use Samsung phones because I need to unlock my phone 100+ times a day and typing a 6-character alphanumeric password pretty much prevents any sort of one-handed operation.
So when S5 came out with a fingerprint reader, I was hoping that someone at Samsung would be smart enough to enable a fingerprint as a screen unlock method when device is encrypted. Not so! When you try to encrypt the device, it forces you to select a screen unlock method and the ONLY method it allows for is a regular password - the fingerprint method is "Turned off by administrator, encryption policy or credential storage".
Someone asked a similar question in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1873700&page=4 but nobody responded.
Can anyone suggest anything to get around this limitation? All I am trying to accomplish is to be able to use a fingerprint to unlock the screen on a Galaxy S5. Somehow Apple was able to accomplish this "ground breaking" feature on an iPhone 5s, so why can't Samsung be smart about it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are rooted, you can try the solution described here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2714662

Skipping Fingerprint Screen and going directly to asking for Backup Password

Hi guys.
I have really weird situation. So when I was setting up my Galaxy Note 4 I chose Fingerprint Scan to be my main authentication method. It prompted me to chose backup password in case Fingerprint scan cannot be read. Unfortunately I did NOT write down somewhere my backup password because I thought that the only case that will ever require me to use it would be losing my thumb finger. Since I was not planning to lose my thumb finger anytime soon I did not think about making sure to write down the backup password I chose....
Now where my problem comes. I have not used this phone for like 2-3 weeks because I use different phone as my primary one. Well guess what happened? After I booted my phone today it does NOT show the usual "Scan your Fingerprint" Screen and instead going directly to "Enter your backup password"
What could have happened?? Did the phone somehow think that somebody scanned wrong finger too many times and now the only way to unlock it is to enter the password? I guess it would be easy to just wipe the phone and start over but there are many pictures that I took on phone's internal memory and did not have a chance to transfer over to my computer... Anyone could PLEASE chime in and tell me how can I make it ask for Fingerprint instead of password?? I would really appreciate to hear what you guys think
Short version:
1. Had Fingerprint as main authentication method
2. Did not write down backup password anywhere
3. After not using the phone for couple weeks now its skipping Fingerprint screen and directly goes to asking for password
4. Any ideas?

Direction Lock - New way to unlock your phone (Hidden feature on the Galaxy S6)

With direction lock, you can unlock your phone by drawing a pattern on it...pretty cool I think
https://youtu.be/iIQUWxuLhOI

Considering I'll be coming from a G2, it's a far cry from knock on. I will miss knock on more than anything on my G2 I'm sure. It might break the boredom of just swipe to unlock, but leaves more room for error and will take longer.

natypes said:
Considering I'll be coming from a G2, it's a far cry from knock on. I will miss knock on more than anything on my G2 I'm sure. It might break the boredom of just swipe to unlock, but leaves more room for error and will take longer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Knock on was very cool, pressing the home button once with the fingerprint reader is cooler.

Well, I'm getting an S6, so I'm certainly willing to give it a shot.

After activating the direction lock feature I have run into a very serious issue. An OTA software update came in from AT&T after which the phone did a reboot. I cannot unlock the phone as it no longer recognizes the direction lock pattern and sadly, it is requiring that specific unlock method for the first unlock after reboot. Samsung tells me there is no way around this except a full master reset which the data loss would be devastating! I cannot locate any software that will pull the data via USB either as the model is an S6 Edge SM-G925A which is not offered via FonePaw, Phone Doctor or Mini Tool. Since the direction lock is located in the Accessibility menu the "unlocking" methods don't work either as the values are apparently in a different location. I seriously need some help with this issue. Losing all the critical data from my last backup to now is beyond stressing me out as it is vital as well as having some very sentimental items. If I could just find a way to either pull the data or explore the phone via third party software I would be one very happy man!! Please, if there is anyone that has an idea, I am willing to try just about anything to prevent a factory reset! Thank you very much in advance!! And yes, I have searched and read and searched and read..... over 5 hours worth of time spent online trying to get this solved... BTW, the phone does not have USB debugging enabled and is not rooted. Just stock Android 7.x

Forgot Pin on Mom's Phone

Hi,
So today I changed the pin for my mom's phone and the completely forgot it.
She has a lot of Photos on the phone that she wants to keep, but she has not turned on the backup to google photos option
Is there a way to unlock the phone or recover the photos ?
I have entered the wrong pin multiple times and I still cant see the forgot password option.
Pls help or else mom will kill me.

I hope there is no solution because it would be big security problem.
Your mother maybe using google photos cloud so dont be worry

This poses a security risk for those who lost their phones, so I hope there's no easy way around it.

RIP OP

I also hope there isn't a remedy. I don't mean to sound negative and not help but look at it from our side.

I once had a phone that needed a pin to unlock after being fully booted. Was able to go into recovery without it though.
But on 6t I think the pin encrypts the partition, so no way of bypassing it.
[irony] Maybe tell some intelligence agency that there is terrorist evidence on the phone, see if they have a "special key". [/irony]

elchmartin said:
I once had a phone that needed a pin to unlock after being fully booted. Was able to go into recovery without it though.
But on 6t I think the pin encrypts the partition, so no way of bypassing it.
[irony] Maybe tell some intelligence agency that there is terrorist evidence on the phone, see if they have a "special key". [/irony]
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Click to collapse
I agree.

Can you not plug in your USB cable and copy the contents off the phone onto your laptop?

KashMiester said:
Can you not plug in your USB cable and copy the contents off the phone onto your laptop?
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Click to collapse
Not without unlocking and enabling USB transfer

Just to be sure, it is the pin for the phone and not the simcard right?

superiscch said:
Just to be sure, it is the pin for the phone and not the simcard right?
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Click to collapse
Good point

Is it not possible to boot to recovery then factory reset it.........

xobtik said:
Hi,
So today I changed the pin for my mom's phone and the completely forgot it.
She has a lot of Photos on the phone that she wants to keep, but she has not turned on the backup to google photos option
Is there a way to unlock the phone or recover the photos ?
I have entered the wrong pin multiple times and I still cant see the forgot password option.
Pls help or else mom will kill me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get your plot ready then.
You have to format data.
Hopefully you can remember the password or pin.
There is far to many security measures in place

you could by having USB debugging on don't know if it's against rules to tell you or just have them email you don't they still email the password to email reg. on phone

There is simply NO way to access the contents without the encryption key. No app from google that claims it can, not google, not even the NSA or anyone but the key holder can. Trust me, you messed up and there is no other way but to remember what it was or completedly reset the phone. After you reset you will be asked password for the account that was last used there. not worth even trying mate.

I wouldnt normally try to help in a situation regarding security but check out this link: Bypass lock screen PIN all One Plus Devices! Might help!
Good luck and let us know how it turns out :highfive:

That worked for me! Thanks so much!

Scott said:
I wouldnt normally try to help in a situation regarding security but check out this link: Bypass lock screen PIN all One Plus Devices! Might help!
Good luck and let us know how it turns out :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 this worked for me too

elchmartin said:
[irony] Maybe tell some intelligence agency that there is terrorist evidence on the phone, see if they have a "special key". [/irony]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really for 6T. File Based Encryption that's used by OnePlus doesn't help here either. There may be a way for OnePlus 6 tho since it uses a different key to sign its boot image.
It may be possible to change current password by using Google Find My Device (https://www.google.com/android/find), but i haven't used it for a long time so i'm not sure at this point.