I have bought a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge off of an individual that was selling it because it was locked, google locked at that. Point is no one knows who the original owner of the phone is or what google account is tied to the phone. I REALLY want to get it unlocked and be using it. I have spent hours upon hours trying to find out how to get past it when my account wasnt in it before the reset, I don't know what else to do. Can someone, anyone, please guide me in the right direction.....
-
After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.
PLEASE HELP ME!!
- Thread starter Joy88
- Start date
Without the proper credentials I'm afraid there is no way to get into the device. You would need the original owners Gmail address and password
yep this is called frp (factory reset protection). its to prevent thieves from using the phone. its pretty effective as you are finding out. the phone you bought is more likely a stolen phone. you can google how to by pass it, but we can't discuss it here in AF.......sorry
AndrewKonamer
Newbie
Would you like to unlock by yourself? There are a lot of websites who can assist you with that. However, it is not for free. If you wish I can recommend you some of them.
AF frowns upon discussions on how to bypass FRP which is why i suggested to google it.
please read this:
https://androidforums.com/threads/frp-factory-reset-protection.1082526/
To be honest I'd try to get your money back.
Do you know and trust the individual who was selling it? Was it actually their phone to sell? In most countries if someone finds a phone, resets it and sells it that is just as much theft as lifting it from someone's pocket would be. This isn't just moralising, there's a practical point here: if the phone was reported stolen it will also have been blacklisted, so that even if you unlocked it it wouldn't be any use to you as a phone (no network will accept a connection from it), and you would have no way of knowing until you unlocked it. Personally I'd say it's not worth getting involved in a locked phone where you don't know the history, which is why my advice is to try to get your money back.
Do you know and trust the individual who was selling it? Was it actually their phone to sell? In most countries if someone finds a phone, resets it and sells it that is just as much theft as lifting it from someone's pocket would be. This isn't just moralising, there's a practical point here: if the phone was reported stolen it will also have been blacklisted, so that even if you unlocked it it wouldn't be any use to you as a phone (no network will accept a connection from it), and you would have no way of knowing until you unlocked it. Personally I'd say it's not worth getting involved in a locked phone where you don't know the history, which is why my advice is to try to get your money back.
@AndrewKonamer, they're most likely scams, i.e., people who claim they can do the impossible, take desperate and gullible people's money, then disappear...
So why on earth did you buy it?!
AndrewKonamer
Newbie
Can be, however some of the websites have good reviews. I thought that we can trust them
Trust no one.
Especially from internet sites that make those claims
Especially from internet sites that make those claims
In my opinion, anyone who offers to do something illegal--whether they actually do it, or just abscond with suckers' money--is not someone who deserves my trust.
FRP is there for a reason.
Consider what the OP said: "I have bought a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge off of an individual that was selling it because it was locked, google locked at that."
Of course I'm just guessing, but my gut instinct tells me the individual selling it had obtained it in some nefarious manner. Whether they stole it themselves, got it from someone else who stole it, found it, etc., it wasn't really theirs to sell. I further suspect they sold it to the OP for a very low price. After all, the OP acknowledges knowing that it was locked, and its credentials unknown. THAT is exactly what FRP is for.
If you're ever the victim of theft, or losing, your device, wouldn't you want FRP to work as it's supposed to? I would. *shrug*
puppykickr
Android Expert
this is my take, if you buy a phone off of ebay or craig's list or even a website, i would not pay any money until the phone has been inspected by you. in fact i always suggest that the deal be done in person and at the carrier you plan to sign the phone up with. this way you can verify with the carrier that the phone is legit and not blacklisted as well as getting the phone registered with them. after that then you can pay the man, as they say.
I'll go one further: you don't just need to know the phone isn't blacklisted, you need to know that it's not still under contract. Because one way people get stung is someone buys a subsidised phone on contract, sells the phone and then stops paying the monthly contract charges - so the phone isn't blacklisted when it's sold, but gets blacklisted when the original owner breaks the contract. And the carrier will not remove the blacklist for you, because (a) you aren't the owner (as the phone hadn't been paid off) and (b) if they do that they are legitimising a scam that defrauds them, so if you fall for this you are out of pocket unless you can get your money back from the seller.
Davdi
Android Expert
I've bought used phones from EBay sellers, but they've been factory reset by the seller if it's their phone, or by the owner before trading it in (if it's from a business seller). So, if you must buy a used phone, that's probably the safest way to do it. Oh, and the phones I've bought were old snough to be well out of contract anyway. It's just the I like playing with rooting and custom ROMS, so I'll only do that with a phone I won't get too upset about if I brick it. (Not that I've ever bricked a phone - I'm way too careful for that).
AndrewKonamer
Newbie
Absolutely agree with you!