Database Info

Can't unlock phone

A friend of mine bought a Galaxy S6, and has used it for a few months now. He has it locked with the finger print scanner. I'm sure this topic has been covered here before. The scanner no longer recognizes his finger print, and his back up password doesn't seem to work for some reason. Both Verizon and Samsung say all he can do is a factory reset. Samsungs findmymbobile was not setup on his phone. Googles ADM is useless all of a sudden. It tells you that since the phone is locked, there's no need to lock it to the specified password. He's fine with doing a factory reset, however, he has a ton of photos (he never setup cloud storage either) of his kids he is desperate to save. He's asking for my help. I told him I'd take a look, but it's pretty tough to do much of anything when I can't enable USB debugging.
A couple questions;
When I boot into odin on the phone, there's an option to enable USB debugging. Does this actually do anything? It seemed to reboot the phone and just bring me to the password screen again.
Is there any way I can root the phone and remove the password, while maintaining the pictures on the phones internal storage?
Is there anything else that has made its way into the scene for dealing with this bug? I've done a bit of research, and it seems it's happened to quite a few people.
Apparently when you don't use the pattern lock, it does not give you the option to unlock your screen with your google account credentials. Google has been no help in this matter.
If this has already been answered in the past, I apologize.
Thanks for the help.

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.

Help! S7 Now Asking for Startup Password

Hi All,
Apologies for in advance for what may be a long post but I want to give as much information as possible in case anyone might be able to help.
So about 3 years ago I purchased a Samsung S7 (GM-G930f) from a phone shop. The device was rooted. This hadn't really caused any issues until today. The phone was overheating and losing it's charge very quickly. I downloaded Malwarebytes & AVG separately and did a scan with both.
One of them suggested turning off developer mode and a setting in it due to a security issue. (An OEM setting I think)
So I turned this off. A short while later the battery died. When I went to charge and turn the phone back on I got a message saying 'Custom binary locked by FAP Lock'.
After a bit of researching it seemed I had to reflash the firmware to the device. I got the most recent version from Sammobile and installed it using Odin. I used the "Home CSC" file in an effort to retain the data on the phone.
So that all seemed to work but the phone is now asking for a password- "Your phone is encrypted for security. To start up your device enter your password"
We have no clue what this password is- have tried the google account password and the samsung account password but no luck. I also logged on to the Find My Phone section on Samsung which was suggested on a couple of websites, however the device needs to be connected to a network before this service is of any use.
Is there any way at all I can retrieve the data from the phone without having to perform a factory reset? I am by no means a developer but am tech savvy and can follow clear instructions. There are recent photographs of immense sentimental value on the phone.
Also I am not some thief trying to hack into a phone. It is my partners phone and she has had it for 3 years.
Any help at all would be greatly appreciated

SquidgyPuffin said:
Hi All,
Apologies for in advance for what may be a long post but I want to give as much information as possible in case anyone might be able to help.
So about 3 years ago I purchased a Samsung S7 (GM-G930f) from a phone shop. The device was rooted. This hadn't really caused any issues until today. The phone was overheating and losing it's charge very quickly. I downloaded Malwarebytes & AVG separately and did a scan with both.
One of them suggested turning off developer mode and a setting in it due to a security issue. (An OEM setting I think)
So I turned this off. A short while later the battery died. When I went to charge and turn the phone back on I got a message saying 'Custom binary locked by FAP Lock'.
After a bit of researching it seemed I had to reflash the firmware to the device. I got the most recent version from Sammobile and installed it using Odin. I used the "Home CSC" file in an effort to retain the data on the phone.
So that all seemed to work but the phone is now asking for a password- "Your phone is encrypted for security. To start up your device enter your password"
We have no clue what this password is- have tried the google account password and the samsung account password but no luck. I also logged on to the Find My Phone section on Samsung which was suggested on a couple of websites, however the device needs to be connected to a network before this service is of any use.
Is there any way at all I can retrieve the data from the phone without having to perform a factory reset? I am by no means a developer but am tech savvy and can follow clear instructions. There are recent photographs of immense sentimental value on the phone.
Also I am not some thief trying to hack into a phone. It is my partners phone and she has had it for 3 years.
Any help at all would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Type (default_password) without brackets obviously, if it doesn't work root the phone with Odin and see if it's starts normally.
Also do you know if you changed photo storage to sd card? If so you can remove it and see what's pics are stored there under folder DCIM. A firmware restore does nothing to the sd card.

cooltt said:
Type (default_password) without brackets obviously, if it doesn't work root the phone with Odin and see if it's starts normally.
Also do you know if you changed photo storage to sd card? If so you can remove it and see what's pics are stored there under folder DCIM. A firmware restore does nothing to the sd card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey- thanks for getting back to me. Yeah I've checked the sd card already- unfortunately it was saving to the phone it seems! Just tried that password and no luck.
Will rooting the phone with Odin wipe the data? I'll have to look up how to do it so I don't mess it up!
Thanks again

SquidgyPuffin said:
hey- thanks for getting back to me. Yeah I've checked the sd card already- unfortunately it was saving to the phone it seems! Just tried that password and no luck.
Will rooting the phone with Odin wipe the data? I'll have to look up how to do it so I don't mess it up!
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No rooting won't wipe. Use cf auto root

Pin locked; TWRP flashing not allowed in locked state; need to recover data

Hello - I have a rather unique situation and have been searching for possible solutions since last few days. I have forgotten my pin or potentially an update or my office apps have locked my phone. I have it connected using fastboot to my PC however I am not able to flash TWRP as it gives an error: Flashing not allowed in Lock State. Is there any way for me to back up the data before doing a reset? Is there any code which can be used to bruteforce different pin combinations in recovery mode / fastboot mode? Any help is greatly appreciated. I have the output of "fastboot getvar all" in case that can help you locate the partition to boot/erase. thanks a ton!

Oneplus8TPinFinder said:
Hello - I have a rather unique situation and have been searching for possible solutions since last few days. I have forgotten my pin or potentially an update or my office apps have locked my phone. I have it connected using fastboot to my PC however I am not able to flash TWRP as it gives an error: Flashing not allowed in Lock State. Is there any way for me to back up the data before doing a reset? Is there any code which can be used to bruteforce different pin combinations in recovery mode / fastboot mode? Any help is greatly appreciated. I have the output of "fastboot getvar all" in case that can help you locate the partition to boot/erase. thanks a ton!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In what way are you phone locked? I don't think there are anything you can do to save your data if you don't know your password/pin. TWRP wouldn't have helped in this case either.

Hi - thanks for your reply. My pin is not working and every pin trial is taking quite a bit of time. I am able to try pins quickly in recovery mode but trying all possible 4 digit combinations will take quite a bit of time. Alternatively, a brute force code to keep trying different pins would also be beneficial if you are aware of it.
Wont adb would have let me back up my phone data?

No way to bruteforce it that I am aware off.
your pin is needed to decrypt the encryption key that is used to decrypt data. So you can't access or backup any data without your pin. This is by design.

But cant the encryption key be overwritten using my biometrics which I have registered as well? Or something that manufacturer can do because there are tonnes of solutions for samsung and lg devices but am struggling to find something for oneplus..

Oneplus8TPinFinder said:
But cant the encryption key be overwritten using my biometrics which I have registered as well? Or something that manufacturer can do because there are tonnes of solutions for samsung and lg devices but am struggling to find something for oneplus..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps this is because OnePlus has properly secured their devices and Samsung/LG hasn't? Though I do contest that statement. By my knowledge all devices perform a data wipe when the bootloader is unlocked (aside from one OP device that had a flaw in this area IIRC).
Please view this from another perspective: if your device was stolen and you've PIN protected it, would you want the thief to be able to unlock it and view all your pictures/videos/documents/etc?

Timmmmaaahh! said:
Perhaps this is because OnePlus has properly secured their devices and Samsung/LG hasn't? Though I do contest that statement. By my knowledge all devices perform a data wipe when the bootloader is unlocked (aside from one OP device that had a flaw in this area IIRC).
Please view this from another perspective: if your device was stolen and you've PIN protected it, would you want the thief to be able to unlock it and view all your pictures/videos/documents/etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree but one pin cant and should not be the only way to unlock phone. In my particular case, I have now started to think that some of the app has messed up with the pin or an android update has messed up with the pin. I am quite surprised that a forgot pin / pattern option doesnt even come as if no one can forget pin. Is there a way to hack into my phone given I am logged into same gmail and other apps as I am logged into my new realme phone?

Oneplus8TPinFinder said:
I agree but one pin cant and should not be the only way to unlock phone. In my particular case, I have now started to think that some of the app has messed up with the pin or an android update has messed up with the pin. I am quite surprised that a forgot pin / pattern option doesnt even come as if no one can forget pin. Is there a way to hack into my phone given I am logged into same gmail and other apps as I am logged into my new realme phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First time I've heard of a failing PIN, let alone an app that would mess with it (which is absolutely impossible). Asking for a hack into your phone is asking for an illegal way to access your device, which crosses a boundary we will not get into on this platform. We tweak devices, we add functionality, we use exploits to alter the aesthetics of a device and we surely mess them up a lot but we will not support anything beyond our terms.
But! If there indeed is an issue with the OnePlus 8T PIN security, I hope people will report it here. AFAIK there is no such issue widely known.
I also hope it's a lesson in creating proper backups. I guess learning the hard way is the best way. I think we've all been there. I sure have!

you could reset it and enter email registered with that device they fix or email you code to fix

Question unlocking

Hello,
Recently a friends son passed away and the family wants to recover whatever is in his phone including his last text messages and phonecalls.
Xiaomi only offered a full wipe which cannot happen even though the phone and receipt is on his mother's name ( the person who currently has the phone).
I'm uncertain if the phone has USB debugging turned on as I havent got it in my hands yet, trying to gather as much info as I can before I try anything on it.
The family also has a second Poco x3 so the idea was to try anything I find on the 2nd phone first to make sure it doesnt wipe.
It is locked with a pattern and face recognition, but they told me it doesnt ask for the face recognition unless its turned off and on again so they keep it charged at all times to prevent that from happening for obvious reasons.
Any ideas or ways or direction is welcome and very much appreciated.

Doesn't matter if phone has USB debugging turned on, you need to actually allow access from inside the phone to allow debugging on untrusted machine. Sorry, don't think there is any way, unless you know the password, or maybe try to face unlock by pointing the phone at a picture of their son? Don't know if this will work.

Popletenec said:
Doesn't matter if phone has USB debugging turned on, you need to actually allow access from inside the phone to allow debugging on untrusted machine. Sorry, don't think there is any way, unless you know the password, or maybe try to face unlock by pointing the phone at a picture of their son? Don't know if this will work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The picture is worth a try. Theres also a google recovery thing when you fail multiple times on the pattern to answer a secret question, so im hoping that he put an easy one so the family can figure it out. Thanks for your suggestion