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WM6.1 - I'm asked for a password, but I don't have one!

Hello.
I recently got a Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 (with Windows Mobile 6.1), and I set a password on it.
Sometimes when it would ask me for my password, the shift or fn keys wouldn't work, so I couldn't enter it. I would have to soft reset the device to be able to type in my password.
Frustrated, I decided to disable password protection entirely. I then found that after leaving the device alone for a period of time (while sleeping, for example), it would lock and ask me for a password - but since I no longer had one, I couldn't. I would have to soft reset the device to bypass the password screen.
I searched around, and found that this was a bug in Windows Mobile, and the only solution was to hard reset and never enable password protection. After a while of putting up with it, I flashed my device to use itje's Touch-IT v7, and I performed a hard reset. It was fine for a while, but now it's doing it again: it's asking me for a password when I leave it alone for a period of time, but I don't have one. I never set a password this time.
Is there any real solution to this? It's incredibly frustrating. Thank you in advance.

you mean the security password that is enforced when using exchange email? there is ap app that will enable you to turn it off, but you should read this thread (the app is listed here but you should take heed of the warning from deedee). I leave it up to you.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=358695

Try "hard reseting" it

I'm not using Exchange email, and the checkbox to disable password protection isn't greyed out (like it is in that thread). Thanks for the link anyway though, I'll have a look around the registry.
Anyone else know anything about this?
Edit: As I said in my original post, I already tried a hard reset when this problem originally appeared. I hadn't touched the password protection settings at all since my hard reset, but it's happening again.

Does nobody have a solution for this?

are you sure someone isn't messing with your phone and setting a password? I've been using windows mobile for 6 years and never had that problem.
And you said something about a bug.... can you link me to whatever you found?

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.
I just tried searching for that again, but unfortunately I can't find it. It was a thread with somebody saying that they have no password set, yet the device asks for one so they can only bypass the screen by soft resetting - and that's the exact problem I'm having now. There was no solution posted so I didn't bookmark it or anything.
I am the only person that has had access to my phone, so nobody has messed with it. The password setting is definitely disabled, and the HKLM\Security\Policies\Policies\00001023 registry value is set to 1 (disabled). My phone doesn't ask me for a password when I first start it (so I can get past it each time via a soft reset), it just seems to happen after 10 hours or so - I'm not exactly sure what triggers it.
Edit: I'm not sure if this is what I read before, but it seems to describe the same thing.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=291567
nuclear said:
Thats the question: is it really time for WM6?
So far i believe that the device cannot digest what we have so far of WM6. Too many non-functional things or bugs if you would like to say =_=
Device auto-locks and asks for password and if you dont have a password you cannot get into the device other than by soft reset. Asks password even for activesync! PDAViet has problem with activesync in vista as it disconnects after 5 minutes. WiFi only turns on from Comm center. Hang up's on 25MB free RAM. A lot of memory leak! 10MB to run SPB Time -_-...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edit 2: Here's another one... No real solution posted.
http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/windowsmobile/thread/88834ba5-b64a-45c3-8dc4-378ffc3a40d6
seckin38 said:
I have recently purchased HTC Touch with WM6. 2 days ago, it suddenly locked. I couldn't unlock because it asks for password. Because I didn't set a password, I couldn't unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

This is really wierd, i have been using wm since 5 was on the scene and ive never come across your issue. I appreciate that your not using exchange but did you try the zeynee unlock app? It might stop the lock screen, you never know. If it doesnt work then nothing lost huh??

I didn't try it, no. I was concerned about the posts saying the application used up too much battery power, and thought checking the registry would be good enough (since nothing should be changing the value). I'll install it now and see if the problem still occurs. I don't have much hope that this will help though.

Okay, it just happened again. The application didn't help.

Ok, worth a try...
Have yoyu considered flashing to a different rom to see if this works? Is there a new stock Rom available?
Ill have to look more into this, maybe msdn has something on it.

Well, I had this problem with both my original Vodafone ROM and the custom one I'm using now. I'm reluctant to flash it again due to the hassle of reinstalling everything again.
I think it may be related to notifications. It just happened again as I got a text message, and last time it happened just before I received a Skype call. When I'm away and come back to find it locked, there tends to be a new icon in the notification area. It definitely doesn't happen every time I get a notification though...

nexus 5 forget pattern

sorry for my bad englisch!
because i have a big problem! my dad (over 60) has forget the pattern.
but we need the pictures from the phone (the rest is not important). we build a house and need the pictures with the pipes and the measure.
usb debugging is off
bootloader is locked
what can we do? Thanks!

Do you have TWRP installed? Boot to TWRP; and just transfer the photos to your PC, of course connect it to a usb cable.
Your PC should be able to find your Nexus 5

With a locked bootloader you are out of luck, unless he can remember the pattern.

thanks for your answer. no custom recovery installed.
it's a big bug! i can't reset the pattern. i think google must rework. why is there not a option: forget password or anything else.

Because then if someone stole your phone they could access your data. The whole point of creating patterns/pins is to keep others out of your phone. If it could be reset then it would be pointless. The only way to reset is to have all data wiped in the process, thereby keeping others from getting it.
I understand your frustration, I would just suggest getting your dad to try some more to see if he can get it. It is really nobody's fault.

i pay 200€ for a user, they bring me my pictures back! i need help!

There are 2 solutions actually, one: tell your dad that if in 3-days time, he doesn't remember the password, you'll commit suicide or something like that.Two: set your device to i-am-extremely-broken mode and install Android again.

Without ADB/root you'll do nothing. If you'd have root you'll probably can dump data partition and extract data from it.

Security of ios vs android , an important doubt.

Can the data in an iphone can be erased like android mobile by going to recovery mode by pressing 2/3 buttons of mobiles . If not then what happens ?

What? If you want to know about resetting an iPhone, ask in an iPhone forum?
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I don't want to reset an iPhone, I''m just asking a security case. Let's imagine our android being stolen, then the thief can certainly press the power and volume key and can easily wipe data and factory reset the mobile phone by just simply going to recovery. So it'll be impossible for us to find the phone.
But I'm asking in case of an iPhone is this same case possible? Can a thief just simply wipe the data and reset the mobile by pressing some keys and without unlocking the mobile ?

Gotcha. I haven't used an iPhone in years, so don't know.
I still think it's weird to ask an iPhone reset question in an Android forum though. You would probably get your answer in a minute if you just ask in an apple forum...
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Isn't the whole point of factory reset protection on android that it renders the device useless to someone who does this? Sure, it won't stop them actually resetting it, so you won't be able to track it afterwards, but the idea is that the thieves will learn that it's a waste of time.
Apple have something to prevent you just wiping a phone and making it yours, but I can't remember the details (i.e. whether it prevents the reset or, like the Google version, prevents you from using it afterwards).
Sent from my Pixel 2 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

I concur with @Large Hadron
On an iPhone, someone could enter the password incorrectly several times and the device would be wiped. It would not be usable, but it would be wiped. They could also connect the iPhone to a computer / mac with itunes and flash a factory image from there. Again, the device would be useless to them, but you wouldn't be able to recover your device from the thief.
Comparing an iPhone to a Pixel 1 or 2, both device could easily have the data wiped from the device. To that effect, the data is secure on both devices, which is by far the most important part. Recovering your lost / stolen device is an entirely different conversation. The benefit of an iPhone when lost / stolen is the device is a brick without the previous user's icloud email and password. Once it boots up, it asks for this before you can setup the phone. There is no way around this (without Apple's intervention). On a Pixel 1 or 2, the device could be wiped, but I believe the thief could then use the phone as their own. There is nothing that would "brick" the phone after a full data wipe.
If you are worried about your data, either phone is good (don't unlock bootloader and don't oem unlock). If you are worried about the hardware, you are responsible for that.

dbrohrer said:
I concur with @Large Hadron
On an iPhone, someone could enter the password incorrectly several times and the device would be wiped. It would not be usable, but it would be wiped. They could also connect the iPhone to a computer / mac with itunes and flash a factory image from there. Again, the device would be useless to them, but you wouldn't be able to recover your device from the thief.
Comparing an iPhone to a Pixel 1 or 2, both device could easily have the data wiped from the device. To that effect, the data is secure on both devices, which is by far the most important part. Recovering your lost / stolen device is an entirely different conversation. The benefit of an iPhone when lost / stolen is the device is a brick without the previous user's icloud email and password. Once it boots up, it asks for this before you can setup the phone. There is no way around this (without Apple's intervention). On a Pixel 1 or 2, the device could be wiped, but I believe the thief could then use the phone as their own. There is nothing that would "brick" the phone after a full data wipe.
If you are worried about your data, either phone is good (don't unlock bootloader and don't oem unlock). If you are worried about the hardware, you are responsible for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An Android phone works exactly the same way. If you wipe it from recovery, FRP (factory reset protection) kicks in, Once that happens, you are required to log on to the last account that the phone was used on (just like Apple). If you don't know the previous account and or password, there's no way you can use the phone.
You can factory reset from settings without triggering FRP though. Doing so removes all accounts from the phone and anybody can then use it. It's assumed since you are in settings, you've already logged on when you last booted the phone. A thief wouldn't be able to get into settings to reset it as he or she wouldn't know the password to unlock the phone.

robocuff said:
An Android phone works exactly the same way. If you wipe it from recovery, FRP (factory reset protection) kicks in, Once that happens, you are required to log on to the last account that the phone was used on (just like Apple). If you don't know the previous account and or password, there's no way you can use the phone.
You can factory reset from settings without triggering FRP though. Doing so removes all accounts from the phone and anybody can then use it. It's assumed since you are in settings, you've already logged on when you last booted the phone. A thief wouldn't be able to get into settings to reset it as he or she wouldn't know the password to unlock the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool. I didn't know that. Thanks for that info

dbrohrer said:
Cool. I didn't know that. Thanks for that info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And if you really want to perfectly protect all your encrypted files, never open the bootloader. Because there's no way to flash something in the phone if the bootloader is closed. And there's no way to Open the bootloader without wiping all your personal data in the process.
Now if you decide to open the bootloader, files are still encrypted, so it's not a big deal.
Regarding the annulment of an Android device, when it is stealed: That happens with any modern Android phone. Basically, Google bans the phone from their cloud servers. A phone without google account is like an iPhone without Apple/iCloud accounts, almost useless.
P.S.: an open bootloader in Android is like a Jailbreak in iOS, but totally OFFICIAL and supported by Google/Android. You don't lose any functionality like with Jailbreak (if that thing still exist today...).
From my point of view, Google should ask PIN before accessing Fastboot mode and Recovery mode. but this is just to prevent a bad joke from a friend or something like that. (Not when your phone is lost forever, you just want to ban that device from Google servers so can't be used again).

robocuff said:
An Android phone works exactly the same way. If you wipe it from recovery, FRP (factory reset protection) kicks in, Once that happens, you are required to log on to the last account that the phone was used on (just like Apple). If you don't know the previous account and or password, there's no way you can use the phone.
You can factory reset from settings without triggering FRP though. Doing so removes all accounts from the phone and anybody can then use it. It's assumed since you are in settings, you've already logged on when you last booted the phone. A thief wouldn't be able to get into settings to reset it as he or she wouldn't know the password to unlock the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure about that? I believe that factory reset still triggers FRP thus the black market trade in bypassing that check on lost and stolen devices.

Forgot phone password

Friend got into a fight with his brother. His brother was able to break into his phone.
Friend changed the password on the device last week, and because of his school, he doesn't take the phone with him.
He opened the phone today, and can't remember the password.
It is a Moto G7 Power, running Android 9
It has GenTech installed on the phone.
I do not know any specifics beyond that, as the settings are hidden behind a lock screen.
When I logged into the Google account, it looks like the account hasn't been backing up photos, contacts, etc since the GenTech was put on. iDrive also hasn't been backing anything up.
Are there any tools that can remove the lock screen? Preferably free, but I wouldn't mind paying a small amount. And NOT wipe the device.
Before coming here, I saw Eelphone, but it looked super shady.
Searching through XDA's forums, I saw Dr.Fone as an application as well.
Are these the best options? I mean, I troubleshoot devices for clients all the time, and thankfully haven't had to recover their devices like this, and I know that it has changed a lot since the beginnings of Android, but I need something in the toolbox for sure.
Any help is appreciated, thank you!
Edit: I thought I might try Dr.Fone on my Motorola device. Uh, not the right application that I need! I want the data preserved, not wiped. If I wanted the phone wiped, I'd have done it from the bootloader.
(Or do they make a copy of the device, wipe the phone, and reload everything minus the lock screen?)
(Or is Dr.Fone a malicious program masquerading as legitimate?)

DaNissNYC said:
Friend got into a fight with his brother. His brother was able to break into his phone.
Friend changed the password on the device last week, and because of his school, he doesn't take the phone with him.
He opened the phone today, and can't remember the password.
It is a Moto G7 Power, running Android 9
It has GenTech installed on the phone.
I do not know any specifics beyond that, as the settings are hidden behind a lock screen.
When I logged into the Google account, it looks like the account hasn't been backing up photos, contacts, etc since the GenTech was put on. iDrive also hasn't been backing anything up.
Are there any tools that can remove the lock screen? Preferably free, but I wouldn't mind paying a small amount. And NOT wipe the device.
Before coming here, I saw Eelphone, but it looked super shady.
Searching through XDA's forums, I saw Dr.Fone as an application as well.
Are these the best options? I mean, I troubleshoot devices for clients all the time, and thankfully haven't had to recover their devices like this, and I know that it has changed a lot since the beginnings of Android, but I need something in the toolbox for sure.
Any help is appreciated, thank you!
Edit: I thought I might try Dr.Fone on my Motorola device. Uh, not the right application that I need! I want the data preserved, not wiped. If I wanted the phone wiped, I'd have done it from the bootloader.
(Or do they make a copy of the device, wipe the phone, and reload everything minus the lock screen?)
(Or is Dr.Fone a malicious program masquerading as legitimate?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the device rooted?
Does the device have USB debugging enabled in system settings?
If the answers to these questions are no, then all you can do is factory reset. After resetting, it will probably be FRP locked(Factory Reset Protection), which means you still need to remember the google account username and password to get logged into the device, but, the lockscreen pin/password will be removed. You'll lose the user's data in the process. At this point, if it isn't rooted or does not have USB debugging enabled, there aren't really any options to save their user data before resetting the device.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk

The phone is not rooted, unless the GenTech software gained the root access. (I am too new to post a direct link, but it is a monitoring program - I don't know how common it is outside of my community)
If I recall correctly, I did get access to developer options, but that was back in July - I'm not sure if I have developer options enabled at this time.
The paid softwares can't crack it? That really is too bad.

(Solved) Cannot Sign Into Older, Factory-reset Device: "Unable to sign in due to unknown error..."

[Edit: Just a quick note to let folks know, if there was anyone who cared at all, that this issue has resolved itself. I have no real understanding why, but I did a few more "Factory Resets", both with "Wipe Userdata and Personalizations" and with just "Wipe Userdata". Whatever I did just seemed to work as my wife was able to sign in afterwards. When she did I removed her account from the phone, did the multi-wipe procedure again and was able to sign in as myself. That was the goal.
Thanks very much, again, to the folks who commented on my question!]
Hey All,
I have an older device, a Moto X Pure, that I've done the factory reset/wipe all data thing via the stock Recovery. The device is on the latest update that Moto provided 3 (or is it now 4) years ago now, Android 7.1. Other than an unlocked bootloader, everything else is on the device is stock and unrooted, although it does not have a SIM card installed in it at this time. In fact, the entire reason that I'm trying to initialize it is to test a number of different mobile service providers to find the best provider for my, largely rural, common travel pathways.
However, once I enter my wifi info successfully and try to sign into this device with my Google ID/password, I cannot do it. Instead I get an error message that starts with the text that's in quotes in the post subject. The message continues with "try another account, or wait 24 hours and try again." Now, I've done the 24-hour wait thing several times, but the result is the same.
The phone was my wife's daily driver until I replaced it a couple of months ago. I've had her try to sign into it as well, but she can't do it either with the identical result.
So I'm at my wit's end. Has anyone in this sphere ever encountered this error? Were you able to overcome it? Can any other kind soul here suggest a way to circumvent this? I mean one that doesn't involve sledge hammers and concrete pads?
Thanks!
cheers,
john

My guess is problems like reported could be related to Factory Reset Protection, which happens when the previous owner of a device didn't properly remove his/her Google account from phone prior to doing a factory reset.

jwoegerbauer said:
My guess is problems like reported could be related to Factory Reset Protection, which happens when the previous owner of a device didn't properly remove his/her Google account from phone prior to doing a factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If his wife did a factory reset when she first got it then that's not the case.
OP, did she?
jwoegerbauer, how is the reset password handled? If you originally sign in to the device with one password but then change your Google account password, does the device authorization automatically update too?
Or do you use the original password?
Any failsafe to prevent the device owner from getting permanently locked out?
That whole embedded subsystem gives me a headache.

Thanks to both of you for the feedback on this!
jwoegerbauer said:
My guess is problems like reported could be related to Factory Reset Protection, which happens when the previous owner of a device didn't properly remove his/her Google account from phone prior to doing a factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, yeah, that definitely happened. By that I mean that the previous owner did not properly remove their account prior to my doing the factory reset.
Now the question is: Is there any way for me to recover from this situation? I have the latest factory ROM for this device (from three or four years ago). Can I just flash that over what's on there? Or have I tripped some kind of circuit breaker and I'm just hosed?
blackhawk said:
If his wife did a factory reset when she first got it then that's not the case.
OP, did she?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, and we bought it on Swappa about six months after it came out, with an unlocked bootloader no less, so we just assumed that the seller did a reset before transferring it to us, but we don't know that definitively.
blackhawk said:
jwoegerbauer, how is the reset password handled? If you originally sign in to the device with one password but then change your Google account password, does the device authorization automatically update too?
Or do you use the original password?
Any failsafe to prevent the device owner from getting permanently locked out?
That whole embedded subsystem gives me a headache.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, same questions now that blackhawk mentions them. (Since I didn't think to ask such good ones myself!)
Thanks again to both of you for your help!
cheers,
john