Almost all smartphone users secure Android smartphone using pin, pattern or a password. However, there might be times when you forget your Android pin or password. And most of the modern smartphones come equipped with a fingerprint scanner. This means that you need to use your pin or password even less frequently. As a result, the next time you are prompted to enter the pin to unlock your device, you might not be able to recollect what the pin was.
The process to reset the password or the pin is fairly straightforward, as long as you remember the password of your Google account. This is a basic requirement, and in most cases, the scenario will be favorable. Most of the users of an Android smartphone have a corresponding Google account linked to their phone.
Android 4.4 KitKat or lower
The process to get back the control of Android device by resetting a forgotten pin or password is the easiest for users of Android 4.4 KitKat or lower. Google used to provide a simple service to reset the password or pin on an Android device. However, the company removed the functionality in Android 5.0 Lollipop and later.
To find the password resetting tool on Android device running Lollipop or lower, just enter the wrong password five times. You will be prompted with a box offering you to reset your password. Follow the on-screen instructions and log in using your Google account. This way, you can reset the password or pin on your Android device.
Android 5.0 Lollipop or higher
Most of the people are using Android Lollipop or higher on their Android smartphones. For these users, the process is a little longer and more complicated. If you have forgotten your pin or password on Android Nougat or Android Marshmallow, these steps will hold good for you too.
Samsung offers a simple solution to this problem. If you have a Samsung device, you should rejoice, as long as you also have a corresponding Samsung account.
Samsung Android devices are owned by a huge number of people. If you are one of them and have forgotten your pin or password on Android Nougat, Android Marshmallow, or Android Lollipop, you have to visit the Find my Mobile website.
Here, login to your Samsung account. Once you do that, and select the device you are looking for, you will be able to find where the device is located. You can also remove the lock screen from your device remotely. You can also make it ring or remotely wipe it.
Reset Android pin or password through Device Manager
For the people who don’t own a Samsung phone, Google has created something called the Android Device Manager.
Visit the Android Device Manager website, login with your Google account, and you will be greeted with the devices you own.
From this screen, you will be able to reset the lock on your device to a password lock. However, it has been observed that if you have a pin in place, you won’t be able to reset it to a password. As an alternative, you can hit erase, which will erase your device and you can set it like a new one.
Reset Android pin or password through Factory Data Reset
In this method, all the data on your phone, including the pin or password that you set, will be gone. You can factory reset your phone using Android Device Manager. Another way is to perform a hard reset. For this, you have to boot into recovery mode and then perform a factory wipe.
Booting into recovery just requires a few buttons to be pressed simultaneously while booting. The process varies from device to device. A quick Google search saying ‘how to boot into recovery on *insert device name*’ will you the appropriate method.
Once you boot into recovery, use volume keys to scroll and power button to select an option. Select the option to Factory Reset and wait for the process to be completed.
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