I need help ASAP!

[Percy Johnson]

So I got this virus on my phone and tried to get rid of it by rebooting my phone but that didn't work so I Googled it and now I know how to get rid of it but I can't get into my phone because when I rebooted my phone it changed my password from a pattern to a pin and I don't know the pin and there's no "forgot password" button and I REALLY don't want to factory reset my phone and I need help AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. And better yet, PRONTO!

 

[lunatic59]

I doubt it actually changed your pattern lock. I'ts probably just throwing this fake warning over your normal screen. You can try booting into safe mode.

1. Press and hold the Power button until the Power off option appears then release. ...
2. Touch and hold Power off until the "Reboot to safe mode" prompt appears then release.
3. From the "Reboot to safe mode" prompt, tap OK to confirm.

If you can find it using Android Device Manager you can push a new password to it.

 

[Percy Johnson]

I've already tried that.

 

[lunatic59]

is your phone rooted? That could be a game changer, and not in a good way.

 

[Percy Johnson]

Wait, I didn't try the device manager thing.

 

[Percy Johnson]

So the device manager found my phone but how do I "push a new password"?

 

[Percy Johnson]

And what do you mean by "rooted"?

 

[Percy Johnson]

No, it's not rooted

 

[lunatic59]

Apparently they changed it so a new password only works if you have no screen lock set. Since you already had a pattern lock, when you lock the device with Android Device Manager, that pattern unlocks it.

There's another possibility ... if you enter the pin too many times incorrectly, it will lock the device and you can only unlock it with the proper credentials for the gmail account that it's registered too. Be careful, though. On some phones if you enter a pass or pin too many times, it will automatically factory reset itself. Not sure what the maxx does.

 

[Percy Johnson]

I tried this also, but the Maxx FR.

 

[lunatic59]

So you're saying that the phone already factory reset and you still have the problem?

 

[Percy Johnson]

I never FR it but when you type the password in wrong like ten times or something it says that it will FR if you keep typing it in wrong.

 

[lunatic59]

Gotcha, so the Maxx is one of *those*. That limits what you can do here. Safe mode didn't work? That's disturbing that malware can change security on a device. You may be forced to FR after all.

 

[Percy Johnson]

The virus doesn't work on safe mode, I just don't know the pin to get into my phone.

 

[Percy Johnson]

Isn't there any other way?

 

[Percy Johnson]

When I did the device manager thing it did let me change my password I think and its got letters next to the numbers but I don't know if I can use them or not.

 

[lunatic59]

Try this ...

https://www.lifewire.com/reset-android-lock-screen-password-2740708

it was written fairly recently so it might have some merit, although when I tried using the "lock" function with a pin, it didn't prompt me to reset it, only to put a message on the lockscreen

 

[Percy Johnson]

Same

 

[Percy Johnson]

If I factory reset my phone will I still have my phone number and stuff and will I be able to recover my contacts and stuff?

 

[Percy Johnson]

Because that's really all I'm worried about.

 

[lunatic59]

If you synced your contacts with your Google account then they won't be lost and you're phone number is tied to your sim, not the phone so that's safe, too. You will lose email (not gmail) messages, texts, photos and any other files you might have downloaded.

The best way to check on contacts is to log into your gmail account on your PC. If the contacts are there, then you're okay.

 

[Percy Johnson]

And if they're not?

 

[lunatic59]

Unless you deliberately turned off sync, I believe it's on by default. If you don't have them, then ...

 

[Percy Johnson]

Where in my GMail would the contacts be?

 

[Percy Johnson]

Oh wait never mind I found them they are synced.​