Last night I let CootieGirl play with my Samsung Galaxy SII for a little bit. The kids have a new game wherein they attempt to figure out the security password, which is actually a pattern swipe on the main screen. She tried 8-9 patterns, all to no avail, and suddenly my phone was requesting I enter my Google account login and password.
I dutifully put in my info and nothing happened. It dumped me back out to the login page again, as though I hadn’t just entered my email and password.
So I tried again.
And again.
And again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again.
It wouldn’t work.
This is when I began to panic and went online to find out how to fix my phone. The most often given advice was to factory reset the phone to default, which would mean losing a LOT of photos, videos, messages with valuable information. I didn’t want that.
There were a lot of suggestions out there, and I tried all of them and none of them worked. Here’s a sample:
1. Call the cell from another phone and once you’ve answered, hit the menu button then click on Memo. Supposedly this would somehow get you to your home screen where you could then reconnect to your Gmail account and gain access to your phone again. Didn’t work.
2. Call the cell from another phone and once you’ve answered it, hang up using the calling phone and as the line disconnects, begin furiously pushing your home button on the cell. Supposedly continuously pressing the button would somehow bypass the email/password request. I tried this over a dozen times and it didn’t work.
3. Take out the battery, SIM card and SD card, then insert them back. This didn’t work.
4. Turn off the phone completely. Turn it back on and after the intial splash of “Samsung Galaxy SII” disappears begin mashing the home button repeatedly. This is very similar to Option 2 above, and didn’t work.
5. Connect the cellphone to your computer via USB cable, enter safe mode on the phone and transfer all important files and data to your computer, then reset your phone to default settings. The problem with this is that my cellphone never went into safe mode because it didn’t register that it was connected via USB because I wasn’t logged in. This didn’t work.
I sat at my computer for way too long (I won’t tell you how long), moaning the fact that I was about to lose all my unbacked up stuff because of the need to do a factory reset.
Then I remembered something. Months ago I had set up 2-step verification on my phone as a way to safeguard someone getting into my Gmail account. Two-step verification requires not only a password but a special number code provided by a Google authenticator app that updates every 30-60 seconds with a new number. On a whim, I logged onto my Gmail account on my computer and turned off 2-step verification on my account. I then turned off my phone, turned it back on, put in my email and password and VOILA! I was back in! The phone requested I put in a **new** security pattern, which I did. Once that was accepted and confirmed, my phone was unlocked and back to normal.
SO GLAD I had that thought BEFORE I did the factory reset on my phone. Hundreds of photos, videos and bits of data would have been lost forever.
I immediately turned on Kies Air and began transferring all my photos and videos to my laptop for safekeeping. I don’t want to take a chance on it happening again and the 2-step verification NOT being the problem next time around!
Anyway, if you’ve tried all of the above attempts to unlock your phone and have 2-step verification turned on, consider turning it off and see if you can get back into your phone. It worked for me!
this idea or method never worked on my phone…!!!…but i’m still trying it!!!…hope it will work…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS IS A FAKE METHOD…..I 100% AGREE WITH JESSICA STANLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!….LIAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow. I was about to do a factory reset and I was losing my mind after trying everything I could think of on every forum and site I could find for hours and hours, and THIS WORKED FOR ME.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Jessy, I hope you are able to figure out why your phone was not letting you in. Like you, I tried many things until I realized what MY error was (in my case, having the authenticator turned on). Good luck!
Alessa, not lying, but just reporting my experience with my phone and how I got it to work. Sorry that it didn’t work for you, but it only works for people who are using the double authentication on their phone, which I was running. Hope you were able to find a solution for your phone that worked!
Ryan, glad my discovery helped you out and that you were able to salvage your phone!
But that’s assuming that your phone is not cracked and that your screen is allowing you to put in an email address…
what if u can’t put in an email address because the screen would only allow certain letters to function….what would be a suggestion…is there any other way I can unlock my phone without using the actual phone to do it?????
Gerald – that’s a problem way beyond my scope of knowledge! But yes, my solution worked because I was able to type in all the letters properly, for sure. Not sure if there’s a way to unlock without using the actual phone.
Thanks a lot Jaynee .. just 2 hours ago i was trying to find a way to make unlock it after too many pattern attempts but than it didn’t worked and i was trying find a way.. just unlocked it watching your article.
James – glad you found the post and (more importantly) that it worked for you!!
Wow wow wow, wow! I cannot believe it! Your 2-step security worked, and I didn’t even have it set up yet. I went into my google acct settings, to the “accounts and import” section, “change accounts settings”, “Other google account settings.” In there, click on Security tab, then Password/2-step verification. I went in and started to set it up, all the way to entering my mobile # for a text to be sent. I figured that since I couldn’t read the text, I just “x”‘ed out the browser tab. And, as Jaynee said, ” I then turned off my phone, turned it back on, put in my email and password and VOILA! I was back in!”
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! This is the pin in the haystack of online advice…or more like the “diamond in the rough!” Tanks Jaynee!!
In my samsung galaxy s2 sim cannot be inserted so it is only used for using internet,games and photos so what am i supposed to do to unlock my phone.
Joe – glad you had success with my method!
Suzi – I don’t claim to be an expert AT ALL when it comes to cellphones, so I’m afraid I don’t have an answer to your question. My solution for my locked phone was found by accident. I wish you the best of luck in finding a solution!
HI Jaynee, Thanks for the information. I have the same problem on my phone now. I tried all the methods too. I have recently changed my password to my google account. DO i enter the new password or the one i used when i created the account to log in?
Thanks a bunch! 🙂
hit the emergency call 211 then hit long the home button or just press it many times
Rashini – I would think you need to use your current password, since you won’t be able to log in and turn off 2-step verification without it!
Thanks Jaynee, You would not believe what happened!!!! I tried every possible way.. including the step 2 verification method you have mentioned. Unfortunately Nothing worked for me. FInally embracing the teaching of Buddha ‘ Nothing is Permanent’ I let go and did the reset of my phone. I was so sad to have lost all the pics and videos. memories of 7 years of my travels and family.
While re installing, I went to the gallery! and voila!! My gallery remained as it was with all the pics and videos!!!!!!!!!!! Every other information on the phone was lost. NO sd card. I’m still surprised though i do believe it was a little ‘miracle’ hahah
Thought I’ll share my little story with you and thanks for all the information!!!
my problem is it is made in Korea from Olleh company and the google account is not my own google account in that case how can I unlock my cell phone? got no idea.
May you be continually blessed Jaynee, i was at the edge of performing hard reset when i came across your advice, i followed it step by step and pronto my phone came back to live.
Thanks a million.
Thank you soooo much ! it did work
Thank you so much. It worked.
Thanks very much This method worked perfectly for me…
Yes yes yes. Your method worked for me, after trying plenty of other hacks and advices I found on the internet.
That allowed me to keep nice pictures of my kids, priceless ones!
Thanks so much
Thank you soooo much jaynee and joe I unlocked it all because of you.
Thank you soooooo much It worked
It doesnt want to take my password.Why
Alzaan, if it won’t take your password, it’s possible you aren’t putting in the right password or that you need to log in on a computer and turn off 2-step verification, as outlined in my original post. Good luck.