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Help Device is locked

B

barkhausn

Lurker
Hi All,

I did a factory reset on my Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 mobile phone and after reboot was requested to -Activate this device.Seems like a cloud security check.

Cannot remember account no and pass word.

I tried a few suggestions but they did no work.

Can you please recommend any method of deleting this function/work around or flashing a new operating system.

The phone is the global edition and has a standard MIUI 8 system.

I am a senior citizen and dont need this secutity system on my phone.

I have used Samsung and never had this issue.

TIA
 
This sounds like "factory reset protection", which came in a few years ago. The idea is to make phone theft less attractive by requiring a password after a reset (so if the thief resets it to remove tracking software or resell the phone it becomes useless - as well as obviously suspicious). All android devices have had it for the last few years - the reason your previous Samsung didn't was presumably because it was an older device. There is no alternative operating system you can flash that won't have it (and obviously if I did know a way of bypassing it - which I don't - posting it publicly would also make it available to any phone thief who wanted it).

The password you need is the one from the Google account you set the phone up with originally.

If you ever do need to reset without triggering this you need to remove the account from the phone before resetting. And whatever you do, do not change the account password and then reset: the system will think that is suspicious and lock you out of even attempting to log in for several days (because that looks like the sequence "phone is stolen, owner changes passwords, thief resets phone" and so is treated as extra suspicious).
 
Hadron said:
This sounds like "factory reset protection", which came in a few years ago. The idea is to make phone theft less attractive by requiring a password after a reset (so if the thief resets it to remove tracking software or resell the phone it becomes useless - as well as obviously suspicious). All android devices have had it for the last few years - the reason your previous Samsung didn't was presumably because it was an older device. There is no alternative operating system you can flash that won't have it (and obviously if I did know a way of bypassing it - which I don't - posting it publicly would also make it available to any phone thief who wanted it).

The password you need is the one from the Google account you set the phone up with originally.

If you ever do need to reset without triggering this you need to remove the account from the phone before resetting. And whatever you do, do not change the account password and then reset: the system will think that is suspicious and lock you out of even attempting to log in for several days (because that looks like the sequence "phone is stolen, owner changes passwords, thief resets phone" and so is treated as extra suspicious).
Click to expand...
 
Hi Hadron.

Thanks for the reply and advice .I think I have tried too many times and the device is now locked.

Only alternatives is to request unlock from manufacturer or flash a other rom.

Can a vanilla android rom not be flashed compatible with make and model of phone.

I do not worry about warranty and only want a phone that is simple to operate without all these security checks and balances.

Phone is only 3 months old and was bought on a 2 year contract.

I cannot remember the password when setting up phone as I usually write the info down as my memory is short being a senior citizen.
 
@psionandy is correct. You should take it to your carrier for them to fix it. You can't flash a new ROM to remove FRP and your phone may also have an extra layer of protection built in called "Privacy Protection" as part of MIUI. Essentially it's the same thing as FRP. This is not something users should be doing and should only have their phones reset by qualified and authorizes reps. Please don't fall for those "I can unlock any phone for $29.95" scams. All they can unlock is your wallet.
 
I agree with the above: it's 3 months old, it's under warranty and contract, I'd ask your carrier to sort it out. This isn't something that most people should have to get into.

Just for information: I'm afraid that you can't just flash a vanilla ROM. Android has to be built for the particular model, so even for vanilla android (AOSP) you'd need a ROM that was built for this phone. And even then it would still have FRP, because since 5.1 that's been an integral part of Android (so you'd need to find a ROM for your particular phone that was specifically built not to include this). Web searches tend to turn up a lot of historical stuff, and things that worked in 2016 by and large no longer work now - holes in this system are plugged as they are found. And finally, unless your bootloader is already unlocked I'm not sure that flashing another ROM at this point is even an option.

As for not wanting this stuff on the phone, how often do you factory reset? It has no effect on normal usage, and you really should not have to reset often (the only times I've ever reset an android device have been when flashing new ROMs, I have never done it for any other reason). The drawback of this is that, as you've discovered, many people aren't aware it exists, and so may get caught out if they do reset it. My advice would be to get the provider to clear it then make a note of the password (wherever works best for you) and not worry about this.
 
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