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Help , please...desperate

G

GalaxyS2Kent

Well-Known Member
I am desperate. I had to turn on the biometrics (used a fingerprint) for my phone. Then I decided to turn it OFF. I tried going into settings but it kept asking for a password. I've tried everything I could think of but nothing worked so I did a new one, wrote it down, and the new one was accepted. But that wouldn't work to get rid of the biometrics either, so I thought maybe I should restart my phone. Now I can't even get INTO my phone. What can I do other than smash it against a wall?

This is on a Samsung Galaxy S9.
 
The PIN to change security settings should be the same as the lockscreen PIN {or password if that's what you chose). But you also can't enable biometrics without this being set: biometrics are less secure, so they ask you to use the PIN/password occasionally to verify, and just don't let you enable biometrics without one being set.

So basically stay calm and lets work it through. As said above, first question is what is stopping you getting in: is it asking for a lockscreen PIN/password or the Google login password? It should only ask for the Google credentials if you reset the phone rather than restarted, but to play safe tell us exactly what it says on the screen.
 
Hadron said:
The PIN to change security settings should be the same as the lockscreen PIN {or password if that's what you chose). But you also can't enable biometrics without this being set: biometrics are less secure, so they ask you to use the PIN/password occasionally to verify, and just don't let you enable biometrics without one being set.

So basically stay calm and lets work it through. As said above, first question is what is stopping you getting in: is it asking for a lockscreen PIN/password or the Google login password? It should only ask for the Google credentials if you reset the phone rather than restarted, but to play safe tell us exactly what it says on the screen.
Click to expand...

When I turn on the phone I see my usual photo and "Swipe to unlock" but when I swipe it, it immediately says "Use password after restart" and I can go no further. I have very carefully entered my password as I wrote it down when I changed it. Then it says "Try again in nn seconds". I have a feeling I'm going to have to buy a new phone tomorrow!!!
 
How and when did you "do a new one" (password).

Did you ask Google for help in resetting the ACCOUNT password, and Google verified from other information.

is the new password you wrote down a random mix of upper and lower case letters and interspersed with numbers.
You know where I'm going with that one. Zero not Nought, 1 not l etc.

I haven't checked but it used to be that a change of Google account password doesn't become effective for at least 24 hours.
However as @Hadron said we are probably taking about a Lock Screen password in lieu of a 4 digit pin (which to most people is simpler but depends on individual circumstances - kids etc)

If you haven't tried, and you will be locked out, Samsung and Google separately can help recover your credentials.
 
GalaxyS2Kent said:
I am desperate. I had to turn on the biometrics (used a fingerprint) for my phone. Then I decided to turn it OFF. I tried going into settings but it kept asking for a password. I've tried everything I could think of but nothing worked so I did a new one, ....
Click to expand...

Something isn't correlating with what you described and what actually needs to be done when resetting a password. You can't just make a new password and that will magically allow you bypass the old password. A lock screen is much more sophisticated than that. You need to enter the old password to replace it with a new one. Please elaborate on how you were able to create a new lock screen password without knowing your old password.
 
Madd63 said:
How and when did you "do a new one" (password).

Did you ask Google for help in resetting the ACCOUNT password, and Google verified from other information.

is the new password you wrote down a random mix of upper and lower case letters and interspersed with numbers.
You know where I'm going with that one. Zero not Nought, 1 not l etc.

I haven't checked but it used to be that a change of Google account password doesn't become effective for at least 24 hours.
However as @Hadron said we are probably taking about a Lock Screen password in lieu of a 4 digit pin (which to most people is simpler but depends on individual circumstances - kids etc)

If you haven't tried, and you will be locked out, Samsung and Google separately can help recover your credentials.
Click to expand...
Lots of questions, but thanks for your attempt to help. As for asking Google, exactly how does one do that? Yes, I did receive verification that I'd changed it. And it is a mix, as you mentioned.
It has not been 24 hours yet, so maybe (fingers crossed) that would work tomorrow. I don't remember ever being asked to create a 4- digit pin, or even a lockscreen password. I think because I enabled the biometrics, that's what made the password issue.
Tomorrow I will take my phone into a phone store to see if they can help. I hope if they want to do a factory reset that I won't lose all my data.

Thanks again for the comments.
 
With biometric security there is usually a mandate to use a pin/password/pattern as a backup in case the the biometric fails for whatever reason, i.e. a cut on your finger makes your fingerprint unrecognizable. Samsung, at least on newer phones, requires entry of the same pin/password/pattern periodically about every 3 days and each time the phone is restarted.

Has anyone else used your phone that may have added a security measure without your consent?
 
"Try again in x seconds" should only come up if you entered the wrong password a few times in a row. It's similar to the same lockout in iOS. If you keep trying to brute-force it, the seconds interval just increases to minutes, then hours and ultimately will force you to reset to get past it.

Either your 'new' password was entered wrong somehow (what you put into the phone conflicts with what you wrote down) or something else.

I've gotten the "try again in x seconds" prompt before when I accidentally put in the wrong pattern or PIN (missed it by one digit or my dexterity which is getting worse messes the pattern up) usually when I'm in a hurry. But whatever's happening it's refusing your password/PIN/whatever.
 
Well, just keep in mind you need to focus on your lock screen problem, it's not a Google account problem. They are two different, separate issues. Your phone's lock screen is relevant only to securing your phone itself, your Google account is relevant to your online Google services. Hopefully you don't use the same password for both your phone's lock screen and your Google account.
 
jhtalisman said:
With biometric security there is usually a mandate to use a pin/password/pattern as a backup in case the the biometric fails for whatever reason, i.e. a cut on your finger makes your fingerprint unrecognizable. Samsung, at least on newer phones, requires entry of the same pin/password/pattern periodically about every 3 days and each time the phone is restarted.

Has anyone else used your phone that may have added a security measure without your consent?
Click to expand...

No, definitely no one else has used my phone. There was never any pattern, but it did require a password, which I did and got the verification that the password had changed. I very carefully wrote it in my password book but it doesn't work. And when I try to log in, it never asks for biometric anything. I think I'm just going to bite the bullet, cry a few tears, and have a factory reset, hoping that will do the trick. What a mess!
 
GalaxyS2Kent said:
No, definitely no one else has used my phone. There was never any pattern, but it did require a password, which I did and got the verification that the password had changed. I very carefully wrote it in my password book but it doesn't work. And when I try to log in, it never asks for biometric anything. I think I'm just going to bite the bullet, cry a few tears, and have a factory reset, hoping that will do the trick. What a mess!
Click to expand...
keep in mind that a factory reset by using the volume and power buttons(which is called a hard reset) will trip FRP(factory reset protection). this is google's anti-theft protection. you will need to enter the email and password that was originally used when you first set up the phone....so make sure you have that correct before proceeding.
 
Do you remember if you set a Samsung account on the phone, this would allow you to use Smart Switch to transfer what was synced to your soon to be factory reset (ie wiped) phone.

Also Samsung have a good system of recovering access to a locked phone, or used to.

Likewise Google may have saved your pics in Photos and other apps and settings you allowed to sync.

I don't think this helps you change from one method to the other, but there's a lot of information available on Samsung if you search:

https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/what-lock-methods-can-i-use-on-my-samsung-galaxy-device/

JUST ADDED (straight out of the oven) :

https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/i-cant-unlock-my-device/
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ocnbrze said:
keep in mind that a factory reset by using the volume and power buttons(which is called a hard reset) will trip FRP(factory reset protection). this is google's anti-theft protection. you will need to enter the email and password that was originally used when you first set up the phone....so make sure you have that correct before proceeding.
Click to expand...
I have not heard or read about that type of reset. The shop in town charges £15 and takes an hour to complete. I thought it just set everything back to zero and I would make a new password....again. My email address has not changed but I have no idea what password was used when I first set up the phone! That's been at least 4 years ago.
 
That's a little crazy to charge what anyone can do, but I can understand as you weren't aware.

The shop might "re - flash a ROM" but I'm out of my depth a little to explain.


I'm in the UK and @ocnbrze is in the States (he owns one or two of them apparently!)

@ocnbrze is worried as you may still need your Google account to log back in after a Factory Reset.

Putting a new ROM (the complete Android and Samsung UI for that particular phone derivative) I'm not sure is legal and may not bypass the Google FRP lock linked to your account, so I'll let someone else complete that information.

Doing a Factory Reset while locked out is just a question of bringing up a Recovery Mode screen when the phone is switched off by using the Volume and Power button (the sequence varies depending on the model) and then selecting Factory Reset from the list of options by selecting with the Volume button and pressing the Power button to initiate. We can give you a link or a guide for resetting the Galaxy S9.

If you can log in to your Google account on a pc or browser elsewhere, then you would be fine to log in and set a new Lock screen password or 4 digit Pin number.

If you can't log in to the Google account your phone is still linked to, then I'm personally not sure if the store can sort it.

The Factory Reset will wipe your apps and personal files etc, but you will have access to many of those through Google.
 
It is really important to know the password of the main Google account on your phone. For one thing if you lose your phone you'll need the password in order to attach a new phone to the same account. But if you do a factory reset then yes, you risk being locked out of the phone. This is an anti-theft measure introduced about a decade ago: prior to that the lockscreen password would protect your data, but there was nothing to stop a thief factory resetting your phone from recovery mode and then using it as theirs or selling it. With Factory Reset Protection this isn't possible, as they need your Google login to use the phone again, but it also means that if you forget the password you are locked out yourself.
 
Hadron said:
It is really important to know the password of the main Google account on your phone. For one thing if you lose your phone you'll need the password in order to attach a new phone to the same account. But if you do a factory reset then yes, you risk being locked out of the phone. This is an anti-theft measure introduced about a decade ago: prior to that the lockscreen password would protect your data, but there was nothing to stop a thief factory resetting your phone from recovery mode and then using it as theirs or selling it. With Factory Reset Protection this isn't possible, as they need your Google login to use the phone again, but it also means that if you forget the password you are locked out yourself.
Click to expand...

Yes, I know passwords are important, which is why I always write down my password along with the date that I changed it. Unfortunately the new password still did not work, despite the fact that I received a verification email that I'd changed it!

I'm now using my old phone, which still has most contacts, photos, apps, etc. I took both phones into a phone store this morning and the man there switched my SIM card from my locked phone (S9) to my old phone (s6), so at least now I can get calls. I haven't done a factory reset yet, but if as you said, I'd still need a password after the reset, it would be useless. I have all my passwords in a notebook, which is not obviously secure as if I ever lost the notebook, I'd just go mad. But I do wish that when a website tells me to change or enter my password, they'd say WHICH password. For example, Google password or Samsung password etc. That would be too sensible, I suppose.
 
Yeah, it's not clear from your description which password you are talking about where. In reply to my post you talk about your new password, which sounds like a lockscreen password (but doesn't completely add up, as others have noted). But I was referring to your post where you said you had no idea what your email password was from when you set up the phone - if that is your Gmail account then that's what would be needed after a factory reset, not the lockscreen password.

When a website asks for a password it's generally that website's password they want (i.e. whatever account you use there). So Google sites ask for Google passwords, Samsung might ask for Samsung one (though I've never used that for anything), KLM ask for my KLM account, etc. They don't say what password because they assume that it's clear from the context, i.e. from the fact that it's their site that is asking.
 
Madd63 said:
Too many cooks missing your in between questions :rolleyes: :D

Doing a factory reset on a locked phone from shut down / turned off:

https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-216579/

Also try to log in to your Samsung account (you may not have set one up):

https://account.samsung.com/accounts/v1/MBR/findId
Click to expand...

I've tried my Google password AND Samsung password. Also, I can't even turn my phone OFF as it just keeps asking for a password! So I'm having to just leave it on until it runs out of battery! I took it to a local phone repair shop yesterday and he removed my SIM card and switched it to my older phone (Galaxy S6), at my request, so at least now I have a usable phone. I've now ordered a new S22 which will be here this week. When I set it up, I will write down every step and password!!!!
 
Hadron said:
Yeah, it's not clear from your description which password you are talking about where. In reply to my post you talk about your new password, which sounds like a lockscreen password (but doesn't completely add up, as others have noted). But I was referring to your post where you said you had no idea what your email password was from when you set up the phone - if that is your Gmail account then that's what would be needed after a factory reset, not the lockscreen password.

When a website asks for a password it's generally that website's password they want (i.e. whatever account you use there). So Google sites ask for Google passwords, Samsung might ask for Samsung one (though I've never used that for anything), KLM ask for my KLM account, etc. They don't say what password because they assume that it's clear from the context, i.e. from the fact that it's their site that is asking.
Click to expand...

I never set up a lockscreen password, that I know! So it is either Google or Samsung, but I have tried both of those.
 
GalaxyS2Kent said:
I've tried my Google password AND Samsung password. Also, I can't even turn my phone OFF as it just keeps asking for a password! So I'm having to just leave it on until it runs out of battery! I took it to a local phone repair shop yesterday and he removed my SIM card and switched it to my older phone (Galaxy S6), at my request, so at least now I have a usable phone. I've now ordered a new S22 which will be here this week. When I set it up, I will write down every step and password!!!!
Click to expand...

... also definitely worth setting up a Samsung account even though you don't have to.
Their Find my Device app if set up is very useful and they can bypass the Google steps to get back in to your Samsung phone via a web browser. Also a Samsung password is easier to get help recovering.

Add as much verification steps as you can especially with Google : favourite places / people, childhood friends (I can't remember what they asked).
 
Madd63 said:
... also definitely worth setting up a Samsung account even though you don't have to.
Their Find my Device app if set up is very useful and they can bypass the Google steps to get back in to your Samsung phone via a web browser. Also a Samsung password is easier to get help recovering.

Add as much verification steps as you can especially with Google : favourite places / people, childhood friends (I can't remember what they asked).
Click to expand...

Yes, I already have a Samsung account. I tried logging in on my PC and it works, just not working on the phone!
 
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