When it comes to accessing our Android phone we have several biometric options. From the use of the fingerprint sensor, unlocking by facial recognition, PIN, password and the usual unlock pattern. Unfortunately, there are cases in which we use only the pattern and we have forgotten what it was, which prevents us from accessing our Android mobile.
This is a problem in many cases, but there is good news since there are methods with which you can remove the Android lock pattern without resetting the mobile. So we will be allowed to have access to our phone once again, so that we will be able to change that pattern or put a PIN or password, for example.
Therefore, below we leave you with many solutions that can help you recover the use of your phone. Some of them are faster, others are simpler. But all of them will help us remove the lock pattern on Android without resetting the phone, so they will meet this goal. Each of you will be able to choose the method that best suits your case. Since there may be a method that is especially comfortable for you.
Find my Google device
The tool to locate a lost or stolen mobile phone gives us many additional options. One of them is to be able to have access to the phone again, precisely what interests us in this case. It is also the most effective method to unlock the terminal in case you lose or forget the unlocking pattern. All Android phones are linked to a Google account, and thanks to it we can use this application to set a new pattern or a new password if necessary. So it is a great option in these cases.
What we will have to do is go to the Find My Device website, enter your user credentials and then select the locked device and click on Block. After using this option, we will be asked to set a new password or a new unlock pattern. Once you have done this, we will be allowed to use the new method you have set to access the phone again. It can now be unlocked normally.
If you want, you can change that password or unlock the method again in the settings. Many users use this method to create a temporary or fast key, which will give them access to the mobile again and then already in the Android settings use the desired pattern or password. In a few minutes, we have already gained access to the mobile without the need to reset.
Samsung’s Find My Mobile and similar services
Finding my Google device is not the only app of its kind, as you already know. Brands like Samsung give us their service, which we can also use to remove the lock pattern on Android without resetting, in this case, it will be used on your Samsung mobile. In addition, the operation of this tool is similar to that of Google, so it is not something that will present too many complications. The difference is that it depends on the Samsung account now, not a Google account.
That is, we will be able to unlock the device as long as we have a Samsung account configured and linked to the device in question. It is advisable to have registered any terminal of any manufacturer within its services, if they give us this possibility, since this way we are going to benefit from this type of tools. So if the brand of your phone gives a similar function, it is good to register, as it may be of help in the future.
In the case of Samsung’s Find My Mobile there are hardly any differences with respect to Google. We will use their website, look for the device associated with the Samsung account at that time and then use the lock function, which will allow us that change of password or pattern on the phone. So we will be able to establish a new one, which will be the one that lets us access the phone again. Once we have regained access if we want we can change it from its settings again. So we will already have some key or pattern that is simple for us, for example.
Of course, there are also third-party apps that will work in this same style. Not only can we use the apps that manufacturers give us, but if you have a reliable third-party app, you will be able to use it. They will give similar options with which you can recover access to your Android mobile without having to reset the phone. So they also serve, in case this is something that some of you see as more convenient.
Unlock your phone using Gmail
Gmail can also be used to have access to the phone again, although it is a method that not all of us can use on Android. It is something designed for somewhat older phones since it is an option that was introduced in the past in the operating system, but that more modern mobiles can not use. In these mobiles, when we enter an incorrect pattern five times, a message will appear on the terminal screen asking us if we have forgotten the password.
By clicking on this message in question, we can enter our Gmail email and password to unlock the device then. It is something quite comfortable, since this way we will recover access to the mobile in a matter of a couple of minutes. Although it means that we have to remember at all times the password we use in that Gmail account associated with the mobile. Otherwise, it will not be possible for you to use this method.
As we have said, it is something that can be used on Android phones since a few years ago. Many of you are not going to have this opportunity available, so if you have a somewhat old mobile, you can see if this is a method that is available in your case or not. If so, it is something really simple and fast, so it is worth making use of this option.
Smart Lock
A doubt of many users in the operating system is whether Smart Lock can be used as a method with which to remove the lock pattern on Android without resetting the mobile. This is an option that many may want to use, but it is important to keep something in mind and that is that first of all we have to configure Smart Lock on the phone. That is, if we have not previously configured this function, it cannot be used now that we have this problem. So it’s something to do first.
So in the Android settings, we have to check if this function is active. If so, it can already be used, but otherwise, we will have to activate it ourselves. By making use of Smart Lock, we will already be given the possibility to configure any method that we want to establish as a secondary unlock: a Bluetooth device or a trusted NFC tag, etc. So each user can have this method that is more comfortable to regain access to their smartphone in the case of having forgotten this pattern.
It is worth mentioning that since Android 8.0 it has become easier for certain applications to be able to bypass the lock if certain requirements are met, such as having configured the unlock by Smart Lock and having a version of the operating system that is equal to or greater than Android 8.0. So many of you may benefit from this option as well, if you want to make use of it, of course.
Delete the pattern using ADB
The last option is to use ADB to remove this pattern. Although it is somewhat complicated, that only advanced users who are already accustomed to using ADB should use it, since otherwise it will not go well and greater problems can be created on Android. We will have to connect the phone to a computer, open a terminal from the ADB folder of Android and execute the following command:
ADB shell rm /data/system/gesture.key
When you restart the phone and if everything has gone well, the lock of the device should be gone, so you can access it and you can already configure a new way of unlocking in its settings. If this command does not work, copy and paste the following instructions into the terminal:
adb shell
cd /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases
sqlite3 settings.db
update system set value=0 where name=’lockpatternautolock’;
update system set value=0 where name=’lockscreen.lockedoutpermanently’;
.quit
This second command in ADB should work, allowing that Android lock to be removed. Again, since you already have access to the phone, you will only have to go to the settings to use a new method of unlocking the device. In this way, we have managed to remove the lock pattern on Android without the need to reset the mobile.