Galaxy S8 Pin

[John Joosten]

Hi , Today i went to check my Galaxy S8 and it asked for a pin . the page had numbers with small letters and an emergency calls only text down the bottom, I can answer calls can't make the i can swipe down page and get all the normal icons flight mode e.t.c. but as soon a s i press them it goes back to that pin required page . I can touch the front page and look at all the notifications for facebook messages and such but as before cannot access them.
The whole problem is that I have never put a pin on this phone so I have no idea what it wants , I tried a few combinations and it says try again in 2 mins.
What is going on I would rather not lose my data and photo's but if that is the only option then so be it
Thanks in advance
Johnnie

 

[ocnbrze]

not sure how that happened. that is odd.

well you can do a couple of things:
1. you can do a hard reset which will erase your data and trip FRP (Factory Reset Protection). You will then be required to enter your google info (email and password for your google acct).

2. i would take it in to your carrier and see if they can get it unlocked for you without loosing your data. not sure if they can do that or not, but it is worth a try.

 

[Hadron]

How do you normally unlock it? In general phones require a PIN as a backup to fingerprint, so if you use the prints you should have set a PIN at that point. But then most phones ask for this periodically, so it shouldn't leave you long enough to forget doing it.

(I've no idea whether they require it as a backup to their iris scan. My phone doesn't have that).

Of course the way you describe it sounds like you never use a screen lock at all, since you don't seem to recognise it (though I never see mine unless I reboot or it does the periodic PIN request, since I unlock with the fingerprint as part of picking it up).

 

[Eye In The Sky]

The best way I can think of getting back into the phone, is to log into your Google account on your computer.

Google offers this awesome part of their phone protection settings. The option is unlock phone. Now you have to sign into your Google account to do this.

I recommend looking it up on Google, as in that would give you the best website to go to.

Now if Google doesn’t offer that option for your phone. You can erase the phone, you can back up the phone,you can also make the phone ping. Which being locate the phone…

Now to do this, look up on Google: Find My Phone
You will have to log into your Google account, as mentioned earlier. But this is the most effective way to get back into your phone.
No once you unlock your phone, Google may ask you to authorize access to your Google account again… All this means is that it will send you an email address, or text message… Which ever you prefer.
Or however you secured your Google account.

Now whether or not you have to authorize access or not…
To remove the pin once again, which in turn will also remove the fingerprint ID. Or Face ID, which ever security preferences you have on your phone…

Follow these steps, or rather estimated steps. Because all android phones are different…
1. Open Settings
2. Find and select the option Security
3. Remove Pin / Change Pin
Note: Sometimes your phone may request a pin to remove the pin. However, google sometimes offers ways to bypass that...
4. Lock phone, and make sure you can get back into it.

As mentioned in some of the other answers, you want a pin on your phone. This is the best way to make sure that no one can get into your phone, and make it their’s.

 

[Hadron]

Have you ever actually done this?

I ask because Google's Find My Device app is notorious for describing the option to set a password remotely as if it lets you change the password when actually it does not: if a password is already set it does nothing. So if you can't verify yourself that this works we may be getting hopes up (which isn't a reason not to try).