Samsung - if you forget your pattern lock on phone BEWARE!

[2024anotheryear]

If you have a Samsung phone and forget your pattern lock you are totally screwed, even more so if you've not backed up basic data and files, even to google.

At the end of 2023, Samsung removed the ability to access via 'find my mobile' in your Samsung cloud to remote unlock your phone if you have forgotten your pattern/pin. However they have not advertised this fact to samsung owners or updated their website to reflect this.

Unsuspecting users who accidentally forget their pattern or pin (we are all human) on a Samsung phone are merely given the option of hard reset for a princely sum by one of their tech centres or you can do it yourself for free, however all your information is lost.

If by any chance you are in this position, please be aware they don't support 'secret files' (a feature on their phones) in their cloud so valuable personal data could be lost for ever.

The apathy of Samsung customer services is appalling. Passed from pillar to post this last week, each department telling me a different solution. Despite being a loyal customer for as long as they've sold phones, despite being able to prove my ID in several ways and that my locked phone sits beside me as I talk to them on a temporary replacement, apparently they can offer no solution. I have lost valuable business information, passwords, photos, spreadsheets, besides photos of my 10 grandchildren from birth, never mind the last conversations with my mother who is now deceased. My heart is utterly broken.

I cannot be alone in feeling Samsung have lost the plot not realising, what matters most to the customer is the data on the phone, not the phone itself which is easily replaceable.

Whilst it's distressing understandably the multitude of backup utilities and offerings that are available the phone companies and manufacturers know exactly what matters to customers.

If you lost the phone or it stopped working you'd be in the same boat ultimately.

Is there no removable memory card depending on the model that may contain some data?

How To Unlock A Samsung Phone With A Pattern | CellularNews

Just the first article that came up when I googled this problem.

@wobytide I've managed to back up tel numbers, most photos but as I had a secret file for each grandchild's pics ( for safety 😔) along with info even as benign as dog's microchip numbers, copies of all documents such as driver's licence, marriage cert, passport, premium bonds, tax info etc, property title deeds it all needs re doing.

I asked why Samsung were falsely advertising on their website and in their cloud the facility to use 'find my mobile' to reset the pattern/ pin but they couldn't' answer.

Apparently the only solution is to find a company who can hack your phone or try one of the solutions put forward on You tube.

Google have removed this option.

My back up security was fingerprint, however if your phone runs out of battery the only choice you are given is your pattern or pin. No option comes up for finger print which is madness.

@paintitblue the above answer was for the link you posted.

How can you forget it when you have to enter it to turn the phone on (every single time)

I can't imagine it'd be common to forget your pattern, given that you have to enter it so often. Completely forgetting it, and then not having a back-up PIN, must be uncommon.

I'm sorry it's happened to you, but I can also appreciate the position Samsung are in. There's a lot of pressure to keep phones secure.

I bet the number of people who forget both pattern and back up PIN is order of magnitudes lower that people who would be compromised if the security features were easily bypassed.

@Hoardasurass and @YouveGotAFastCar I changed my pattern lock back to one I previously had after a prompt (not sure if a pop up message or text) whilst somewhat groggy due to illness and thought no more. Even allowed my phone to run down, who knew that once recharged you only have the option of pattern lock, no biometric finger print log in.

I suspect the amount of folk who forget their pattern once they change it is quite high.

My argument is that had I known Samsung were turning off the facility to unlock your device remotely in 'find my device' in Samsung cloud, I would have tightened security, perhaps moved files etc.

My Samsung uses facial recognition but doesn’t recognise me when I take my makeup off at night.

Dickhead.

Sorry if this is a naive or stupid idea. But there are only a finite number of patterns you can enter. Can't you just enter all the ones you can think of? (No point looking up ones you wouldn't have thought of as the pattern lock you chose presumably originated in your own brain)

Also pattern lock relies on body/muscle memory, not actual memory. Try unlocking it whe you're not thinking about it or when your mind is distracted.

With each attempt, the time lengthens so currently only allowed every 24hrs now. So frustrating as it was a pattern used before the last one.

All those items, marriage certs, passports etc shouldn’t be kept on your phone. Send them to yourself on an e-mail and then you can pick up from anywhere.

Stable door and horse I know.