Recovered Stolen Phone - Can't Bypass Original Android Device Manager Password

[PhillyCheez713]

Hello All,

First time poster. I'll try to make it as brief as possible.

Galaxy S5
Sprint Carrier

My phone was technically "stolen" by my gf while I was incapacitated for 2 days. She used my phone while I was away.When I was able to get to a computer, I locked my phone using Android Device Manager from a laptop. I've used it before to locate my phone when I lost it in the past, so I thought it would be good to use again.

However, the phone has since been returned to me with the original lock screen and message that I set on Android Device Manager. It's asking me for a password and I've tried all the passwords I could think of, and honestly cannot recall setting a password to unlock the phone. So I am unable to get passed the original lock screen that I set. When I go on to Android Device Manager on my laptop, it says that it is unable to locate my phone and that last activity was 2 days ago when I originally locked it. I've tried the "Ring" and "Lock" features multiple times and neither seem to work and I don't want to use the "Erase" feature because I need the data for legal purposes to track what was going on while I was away.

So, is there a workaround for this without sacrificing my data? I tried looking up ways to get in touch with a human being at Google and I am not having any luck at all.

Apologies if this situation has been addressed in the forums already. My topic seems like it could be normal, but I can't say for sure if it's human error or if she did something to prevent the phone from being tracked.

The phone's internal date/time are messed up as well displaying that it's a date from last year and the time is not accurate with my timezone either but I can't confirm if my phone is even set in my time zone either.

*I did not have a password to access my phone which is why she was able to use it.

Any help at all would be appreciated.

 

[Hadron]

When you use ADM to lock a phone it asks you to enter the password to unlock it as part of the locking process. I just clicked on the "lock" button and got a screen telling me to enter a password (twice) as well as a box to enter a message to print on the screen. So logically the password it wants is the one you entered when you locked it.

I don't know what happens if you tell it to lock the phone without specifying a password, or whether it will allow you to do so (I wouldn't have thought it would, but don't want to test on my phone for obvious reasons!). Have you tried just pressing the unlock button without entering a password?

If the "lock" feature was working then you could just lock it again using a new password, then use that password to unlock it. Since that isn't working I assume the phone isn't connected to the internet (can you see a data/WiFi icon on the status bar?). The problem then is how to connect if you can't get past the lock screen - all I can think of is reboot it and hope.

Since this is a Samsung, is it registered with Samsung's device manager (Samsung Find My Phone)? Either way it may be worth trying to unlock from there, findmymobile.samsung.com, as I've read a few cases of people managing to unlock this way after having problems with Samsung devices and ADM.

 

[PhillyCheez713]

When you use ADM to lock a phone it asks you to enter the password to unlock it as part of the locking process. I just clicked on the "lock" button and got a screen telling me to enter a password (twice) as well as a box to enter a message to print on the screen. So logically the password it wants is the one you entered when you locked it.

I don't know what happens if you tell it to lock the phone without specifying a password, or whether it will allow you to do so (I wouldn't have thought it would, but don't want to test on my phone for obvious reasons!). Have you tried just pressing the unlock button without entering a password?

If the "lock" feature was working then you could just lock it again using a new password, then use that password to unlock it. Since that isn't working I assume the phone isn't connected to the internet (can you see a data/WiFi icon on the status bar?). The problem then is how to connect if you can't get past the lock screen - all I can think of is reboot it and hope.

Since this is a Samsung, is it registered with Samsung's device manager (Samsung Find My Phone)? Either way it may be worth trying to unlock from there, findmymobile.samsung.com, as I've read a few cases of people managing to unlock this way after having problems with Samsung devices and ADM.

Hi there! Thank you for the reply!

So let's get started on your questions.

-There is currently no unlock button for me to press. The only thing I can do is type in a password, dial an emergency #, or use the camera (cannot access the gallery of photos).

-I tried using the "Lock" feature again by inputting simple passwords, it then says that it successfully sent the message to the phone, but when I attempt to input the new pw, it doesn't reflect on my phone even though it says on ADM that it successfully sent the message to the phone. I know this because I oringally put in an optional message that says "please call xxxxxxxx at #xxxxxxx" on it and when I sent the updated password, I elected not to put in a message at all. And it's not showing me my updated "Lock" screen. So it's not getting through.

-I do see a Wi-Fi signal on the phone and it does show full strength. So both phone and laptop are in my secured wi-fi spot, but still no luck.

-I tried the Samsung Device Manager too, I registered my e-mail but not my device, and am unable to do so now unless the phone was unlocked.

So I am definitely learning my lesson here! But still not having much luck!

 

[AZgl1500]

Unless I am mistaken, when you locked that phone, you also erased everything on it and the SD card. Without that password, you are sunk....


since it is a Samsung S5, you will now need to turn it off,
use 3 fingers to turn it on.

Volume Up, don't use volume Dn, that is to download a new OS file.
Home Button,
Power ON and hold everything until you see a blue menu come up.​

release the buttons.
volume key to select FDR and let it erase the phone and now you can register it again, and start all over.

sorry, the data is gone.

 

[AZgl1500]

the reason Device Manager, and Samsung's manager can't access the phone is because it is not "ON" and not receiving DATA from a registered account.