What are my options if I am locked out of my own phone?
Forgetting a PIN, pattern or password happens to everyone, and both Google and Samsung build recovery tools for exactly this situation, so long as the phone was already linked to your account. There are three routes, in order of how much they preserve: Google's Find My Device, Samsung's Find My Mobile, and a factory reset as the last resort that wipes the device. Which ones are open to you depends on whether the phone has internet access and was signed in to your account before it got locked.
How do I unlock an Android phone with Google Find My Device?
Google's official support page, Can't unlock your Android device, covers this directly. If the phone has a screen lock and you enter the wrong PIN or pattern enough times, some devices show a Forgot pattern or Forgot PIN option that lets you sign in with the phone's Google Account to reset it on the spot.
- From a computer or another phone, go to android.com/find and sign in with the Google Account that is set up on the locked phone.
- Select the locked device from the list.
- Choose Secure Device to lock the screen with a new temporary PIN, without erasing anything.
- Use that temporary PIN to get back into the phone, then reset your permanent lock screen in Settings.
Google notes that if you do not know the PIN or pattern that was active when your phone last backed up, some recovery paths may still require a data reset, so this works best when the phone has recently been online and backed up.
How do I unlock a Samsung phone with Find My Mobile?
Samsung's equivalent service works the same way, provided the phone was linked to a Samsung account beforehand and has network access.
- On a computer or another device, open findmymobile.samsung.com and sign in with the Samsung account linked to the locked phone.
- Select the device from your account.
- Choose Unlock (sometimes listed under More), then confirm with your Samsung account password.
- The phone unlocks remotely within a few minutes, depending on its connection.
If the phone was never signed in to a Samsung account, Find My Mobile cannot reach it, and you will need to move to the factory reset option below.
What if neither option works? Factory reset as a last resort
When the phone is offline, was never linked to a Google or Samsung account, or the remote tools genuinely will not unlock it, a factory reset through recovery mode is the remaining option. This clears the screen lock along with every app, photo and file on the phone, so it should only be used once the remote options above are confirmed unavailable. The exact button combination to enter recovery mode differs by phone brand and model. Our separate factory reset guide covers the recovery-mode steps in detail.
After a factory reset, most Android phones also require Factory Reset Protection: you must sign in with the Google Account (or Samsung account) that was previously active on the phone before setup will complete. Keep those login details on hand.
People also ask
What if I do not remember my Google Account password either?
Go to Google's account recovery page from a computer or another device and follow the identity verification steps. Once you regain access to that account, Find My Device can unlock or erase the phone using it.
Will unlocking through Find My Device delete my data?
Not if you use Secure Device, which sets a new temporary PIN without erasing anything. Only Erase Device or a full factory reset removes everything on the phone.
My phone is not connected to the internet. Can I still unlock it remotely?
No. Both Find My Device and Find My Mobile need the phone online to receive the command. If it is offline, a factory reset through recovery mode is the remaining route.