What to do if you forget the unlock pattern on your Android phone? Resetting to factory settings is undesirable, since you probably have very important data that cannot be lost. How to remove pattern on Android without losing data?
If you're lucky, you can remember it after a few attempts, relying on the memory of your hands. But what if you absolutely do not know how to enter it? Is there a way to remove the pattern without losing data? There are several methods to unlock Android without factory reset.
Solution 1: Try using ADB (Android Debug Bridge)
The method only works if USB debugging was enabled on your Android phone or tablet before you forgot your password. In addition, it is required that you allow and trust the computer with the installed program before attempting to reset the key on the device. To make matters worse, this method won't necessarily work for devices with encryption enabled. However, if youlucky and your settings meet these requirements, you can easily unlock the password. How to remove the graphic key from Android in this way? This is done like this:
- Connect your Android phone to your computer via USB.
- Open a terminal window in the ADB installation directory on your computer.
- Enter the following command: adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key.
- Reboot your Android device and you will see that the secure lock screen has temporarily disappeared.
Set up a new key (PIN or password) before restarting your phone again. Otherwise, your device will be blocked again.
Solution 2: Reboot in safe mode
It's easy to bypass the key lock from third-party apps (but not the default smartphone setting) and gain access to your Android device. All you have to do is boot your phone into safe mode as it will disable the "non-native" service you temporarily installed on it. How to remove the graphic key by this method? Follow a few simple steps:
- Press and hold the power button until the menu appears on the Android screen.
- Press and hold the Power button.
- Click on the "OK" option when a confirmation message appears.
- Uninstall the third-party screen lock app and restart your device.
After that, you can download this service again and then set up a new key.
Solution 3: Apply FoneCope
How to remove a forgotten graphic key using a special program? FoneCope Android Screen Lock Removal is a great Android unlock service. It will allow you to remove the pattern without losing data. It should be noted right away that this method does not work on all smartphone models. How to use it? Follow the instructions below:
- Download and run FoneCope on PC.
- The program will ask you to connect your phone to the computer via a USB cable and automatically detect it.
- And then you can click "Start" to proceed to the next steps.
- Select your device model and download the recovery data package.
- Manually select the correct device model, otherwise your phone may be locked.
So far, the list of supported smartphones is limited. If you cannot find the device information in the list, it is not supported yet. This means that you will not be able to use this software.
- After you select and confirm the make, name and model of your device, simply click the "Next" button to continue. Put your smartphone into download mode.
- To do this, turn off the Android device, press and hold the 3 buttons (Volume Down, Home and Power), then release them when you see a warning message on the screen. At this point, quickly press the Volume Up key. This will allow you to enter download mode.
- Click "Start" to load the recovery page. This download task will take 5 to 10 minutes to complete.
- As soon as FoneCope stops downloading, the pattern will be completely removed, but files or settings will not be deleted from the phone. Grab your device and press Home. You will find that you can access and enter the phone without a key.
Solution 4: Use Android Device Manager
How to remove pattern from phone using Google service? This method only works if Find My Device was enabled before the smartphone was locked. Also, Google Android Device Manager will not help you remove the key if you have locked your Samsung S6/S6 Edge or newer Samsung devices.
How to remove pattern using this service? This is done like this:
- Log in to Android Device Manager on the Google website.
- Find a locked phone that has been linked to a Google account.
- Select the "Lock" option on the screen.
- When the pop-up window appears, you can enter a new password and confirm it again.
Finally, you can save screen lock changes to remove the key on your device without factory reset.
Solution 5: Reset lock for Android 4.4 KitKat and below
How to remove pattern if you forgot it on your old phone? You can easily do this without data loss if yourthe phone runs on Android 4.4 or older OS. To do this, do the following:
- Enter the wrong key 5 times to display hints.
- Click on "Forgot your key?".
- Enter your Google email address and password to enter the unlock page.
- Click "Screen Lock" in the "Setting" menu list and select the type of screen lock you want to use on your phone in the future.
- You can choose "None", "Slide", "Key", "PIN" and "Password" to set a new setting.
You will be returned to the Android home screen as soon as the new screen lock is set.
It is worth noting that using older versions of the Android OS is not suitable for protecting sensitive personal data. It is recommended that you regularly transfer them to your computer if you use an older smartphone for simple calls and text messages.
Solution 6: Factory Reset and Delete Information (For Android 5.0 and up)
How to remove a forgotten pattern on Android if the above methods do not help? If you use OS 5.0 and above, it will not be very easy to unlock the device, because the new versions of the platform perfectly protect your data.
In this case, you need to restore your Android to its original factory settings, which will delete the key along with other information. You can do this without a Google account. But remember that this will erase everything onyour Android phone without the ability to restore. Therefore, this is the most undesirable way.
What to do in such a situation?
If none of the above methods help, except for factory reset, is there any way to protect the data? Unfortunately, this won't work. But at least you can remove the SD card before removing the key on the phone.
How is reset done on different devices?
How to remove the pattern by resetting the device? This is done differently on different models. The most common options are listed below.
Reset a locked Samsung phone: turn off the device > press and hold the volume up, home and power buttons and release them when the logo appears on the screen. Wait 10-15 seconds to enter Android recovery mode.
For various models of LG, HTC, Sony, Motorola and others: Turn off the phone > Simultaneously press the Volume Down, Home and Power keys. Release the buttons when the device turns on again and the logo appears on the screen.
Reset Google Pixel and Nexus: Turn off your Google phone > Press and hold the volume up and power buttons at the same time. When fastboot mode is enabled, scroll down to the recovery option and quickly press the power button.
Once you have done the desired setting on your phone model, click on "Reset to factorysettings". A message will appear asking you to confirm if you want to delete all data. Select Yes.
The process of deleting information will take a few minutes. Do not press any buttons during this time. After rebooting the phone, the key will be removed.
Closing word
The above are 6 effective solutions to remove pattern on Android phone. It can definitely help you if you have forgotten it. You can choose the best method for your smartphone as some of them are quite individual.
