Regardless of device encryption and fingerprint scanners and the like, couldn't someone just get your phone, boot into recovery, and factory reset it? Wouldn't that undo any security you had on device?
Yes but the actual files have been encrypted. So while they can start the device fresh and use file recovery tools to "get" the old files, they are useless.
And they would be useless to everyone after that, even you? I guess that would be pretty good. So you encrypt to protect your user data, and you fingerprint lock to make sure nobody can ever decrypt, even if they factory reset thru recovery, which will get past your fingerprint scanner but not previous encryption. That right?
Actually since lollipop you must log out of your Google account before a reset. If you just factory reset you well still have access to the device to track it out wipe your account from it.
I could be wrong here, but if you have stock recovery, a factory wipe can only be started in the phone's settings menu. If you have twrp installed, a wipe can be started with out being in the phone, but you need a password to start it.
If you do wipe the phone, it is still useless as you need the persons gmail username and password to complete the setup, so the phone is useless to all other users bar the user of the phone.
I think you can factory reset from stock recovery.
So I don't get it. I thought user data was encrypted from phone, i.e., the internal storage. If I factory reset, I don't need a Google account to start the phone up. So then couldn't I access the internal storage data with a file explorer?
You have to authorize the phone to sync with your computer so you can not get on that way either. If you do not authorize you can not push adb or anything else.
As km8j said, yes, you can factory reset the phone, but you won't be able to recover any of the encrypted data. That's why before you get rid of an old phone you should encrypt (if it wasn't) and wipe it.
jackdubl said:
I think you can factory reset from stock recovery.
So I don't get it. I thought user data was encrypted from phone, i.e., the internal storage. If I factory reset, I don't need a Google account to start the phone up. So then couldn't I access the internal storage data with a file explorer?
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Thats not quite right. If you factory reset your phone, you do need a google account to complete the initial setup wizard. The only exception is if the user releases it from his or her's google account so it can be sold on.
But yes to complete the instillation it will ask for a google account that has been authorised and wont continue until it gets it. This happens automaticly the first time you sign in to play store.
Also factory reset will fully wipe the phone, brand new out of the box. It also wipes the users data, so if you were able to get on the phone, there would be no data to access. I really do like the way google have thought about it. Also I never keep anything on the phone that I would consider critical.
A lot of inaccurate information here. You have been able to skip that Google account setup on all android phones for the past few years. Also in basically any file system, when joy delete a file, even formatting, the content is not deleted. So while the information is not there at face value when you wipe the phone it can easily be recovered without encryption.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Yeah, that keeps confusing me. I have activated so many phones without inputting a Google account. It says "skip" right there on the screen!
Didn't Google introduce the security features with the Nexus 6 and 5.0? It locks the phone to your google account even after a factory reset but requires compatible hardware.
I haven't seen it mentioned with this year's devices but when setting up a pin on the 5x I believe it asked if I wanted to enable that feature.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
jackdubl said:
Regardless of device encryption and fingerprint scanners and the like, couldn't someone just get your phone, boot into recovery, and factory reset it? Wouldn't that undo any security you had on device?
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Click to collapse
No. If your data is encrypted, no one can access it without your decryption key. As for access to the device, if you had set up a Google account on the device, and had a lockscreen password/pin/pattern/etc., then no one else can use the device other than you unless you remove your Google account and lockscreen password before you factory reset. This was a new feature introduced with devices that sold with 5.0+
Panzerapple said:
Actually since lollipop you must log out of your Google account before a reset. If you just factory reset you well still have access to the device to track it out wipe your account from it.
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Click to collapse
Yes!
Stephen said:
I could be wrong here, but if you have stock recovery, a factory wipe can only be started in the phone's settings menu.
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With the stock recovery, you can reset either from within Android or from within the stock recovery.
jackdubl said:
So I don't get it. I thought user data was encrypted from phone, i.e., the internal storage. If I factory reset, I don't need a Google account to start the phone up. So then couldn't I access the internal storage data with a file explorer?
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Click to collapse
Prior to devices shipped with 5.0+, this was true. No longer.
km8j said:
A lot of inaccurate information here. You have been able to skip that Google account setup on all android phones for the past few years. Also in basically any file system, when joy delete a file, even formatting, the content is not deleted. So while the information is not there at face value when you wipe the phone it can easily be recovered without encryption
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can skip Google account setup. However, IF you do set up a Google account and a lockscreen password, THEN you cannot skip the Google account setup on that device after a factory reset (if you hadn't already removed the account prior to the reset).
bblzd said:
Didn't Google introduce the security features with the Nexus 6 and 5.0? It locks the phone to your google account even after a factory reset but requires compatible hardware.
I haven't seen it mentioned with this year's devices but when setting up a pin on the 5x I believe it asked if I wanted to enable that feature.
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Click to collapse
+1.
I went to use my phone and for some reason I can't unlock it. The fingerprint option is not coming up and my backup password doesn't work. I tried to change my password through device manager and it still doesn't work. I tried booting into recovery and wiped the cache and still no luck. I haven't downloaded any new apps recently so I don't know what's going on. Unfortunately I haven't backed my phone up in a while so I have some important stuff that I don't want to get rid of so a factory reset wouldn't be ideal but if that what I have to do I guess I'll have to bite the bullet.
Edit: I tried booting into safe mode and that doesn't work either.
Edit: I noticed that when I try to change the password through device manager it says couldn't lock device. I can ring it from device manager but not change the password.
I believe you can reset the password from your main google account if i am not mistaken.
when i install a custom rom (viper one 4.2.1 or 4.3) i get the following error please sign in using one of the owner's accounts for this device. when i install the RUU for AT&T developer i can log in just fine with my account.
anyone have any ideas on how to fix this problem?
Go back to your functioning rom and remove the google account (might want to do a backup first!). Then do the flashing etc and sign in with your account as a new device.
The problem is googles factory reset protection. Its designed to make the device useless if the phone is factory reset without being unlocked first.
The other way is factory reset from android settings, then flash, then sign in to your account as a new device.
Google needs to address the fact that frp is too strong and needs to add another way in to devices in the event of accidental lockout.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
I am having the same problem more or less.
I have bought a Nexus 9 from another person.
I did a factory reset today and I cannot sign in now.
Will this solution work? How do I go to funcioning rom, etc?
This is a "Google" security feature... When you wipe a device and then set it back up, if you didn't delete the Google account first, it will ask for those "original" credentials. Only way around it is to completely RUU the device back to the latest stock image. But I've heard some devices still have issues since the SN or IEMI is associated with the previous users Google account.
So, if you buy a new device... ALWAYS make sure the previous owner deleted their Google account first, or have them there when you go through the first few setup screens to enter their credentials....Then after you enter your credentials, you can reset it.
Just kind of mirroring what shivadow said
OH no! I am having this problem with a newer device!! Please help! It has been about 22 hours since I tried booting a custom binary with a non-unlocked OEM lock! I'm waiting to try to sign in to my Google account until 24 hours passes! I might have to wait 72 hours! Please review the post [LINK=http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/s7-edge-canada-boot-to-twrp-t3509603]here[/LINK]...I don't know if I posted that right so cut and paste this if that link doesn't work:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/s7-edge-canada-boot-to-twrp-t3509603
Thanks in advance!!
Want to install lineage os but can't due to same problem
shivadow said:
Go back to your functioning rom and remove the google account (might want to do a backup first!). Then do the flashing etc and sign in with your account as a new device.
The problem is googles factory reset protection. Its designed to make the device useless if the phone is factory reset without being unlocked first.
The other way is factory reset from android settings, then flash, then sign in to your account as a new device.
Google needs to address the fact that frp is too strong and needs to add another way in to devices in the event of accidental lockout.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
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I am having same problem with my old lenovo tab 3 7 . When i got it, i used it once and twice and then put it. now after a year or two, i want to install lineage and use it again as secondary device. but the problem is i don't remember which gmail id i used(i had 7 ids) and don't even have a clue about some accounts ids and passwords which i (currently using only 2 ids) don't use. And as usb debugging is disabled i can't do anything with my pc to get out of this situation.
Help!!!!!
I factory wiped my phone under Marshmallow, and then updated it to Nougat with the OTA update, but when I boot up, I discovered that I am only proposed to add fingerprints to the phone. I am not offered to add a password for encryption. In the settings menu, adding a password does not appear anywhere. And it says the phone is already encrypted.
I don't understand what is going on. How can I encrypt the phone using a password?
fnoingw said:
I factory wiped my phone under Marshmallow, and then updated it to Nougat with the OTA update, but when I boot up, I discovered that I am only proposed to add fingerprints to the phone. I am not offered to add a password for encryption. In the settings menu, adding a password does not appear anywhere. And it says the phone is already encrypted.
I don't understand what is going on. How can I encrypt the phone using a password?
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Click to collapse
You don't see an option above fingerprint under security in settings (swipe)? Click it.
GUys I have emui 5 version Android 7.0, It is a fingerprint enabled, and I have forgotten the password. My Gmail email ids are already added to that phone. I can unlock the phone using my fingerprint. Is there any way to recover or reset the password without hard reset or complete reset?
Facing the same issue... Did you find any solution?
bilalrajput said:
GUys I have emui 5 version Android 7.0, It is a fingerprint enabled, and I have forgotten the password. My Gmail email ids are already added to that phone. I can unlock the phone using my fingerprint. Is there any way to recover or reset the password without hard reset or complete reset?
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Click to collapse
Try android device manager. (GOOGLE)
you can set (change) device password with it. Maybe this wil work for your situation
https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6160491?hl=en
Steps are also explained in this link.
https://www.lifewire.com/reset-android-lock-screen-password-2740708