After too many incorrect PIN entries, Android phones are locked out. In some cases, they dont accept Google Password for unlocking. The only commonly known way to unlock it is to wipe all data (factory reset). In such an attempt, your phone becomes wiped clean of all data, and you loose all your Contacts and other data in case they haven’t been synchronized to Google servers. This situation happened to my fiance’s phone (which wasnt rooted), and I had to fix it.

What you need:

• Clockwork mod recovery for your phone. I worked with GT-S5360. CWM for GT-S5360 is attached below. [download id=”0″]
• Aroma File Manager 1.80. [download id=”0″]

Steps:

1. Run CWM recovery installation zip from Stock Android recovery.
2. Create a backup of current system.
3. Now run Aroma File Manager from CWM. The first time AromaFM is run, you need to change the Settings to automount all partitions on startup. Next, exit from Aroma and once again reopen Aroma from CWM.
4. From AromaFM, copy the following file /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db to /sdcard/.
5. Download and run SQLite Database Browser portable from http://sqlitebrowser.org/
6. Open the database file settings.db in SQLite Database Browser. Create a backup copy, and edit the original file:
7. Browse data > Table: secure
8. Edit the following to the new values here:

lockscreen.lockedoutpermanently: 0
lockscreen.patterneverchosen: 0
lock_pattern_autolock: 0

9. Save the database.
10. Now replace the edited file in the original location: /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/
11. Use CWM’s “Fix permissions” option
12. restart the phone.

Now, You will find that the phone is now unlocked, and you no longer have the phone nagging you to supply the Google account and password.

Joel G Mathew

Joel G Mathew, known in tech circles by the pseudonym Droidzone, is an opensource and programming enthusiast.

He is a full stack developer, whose favorite languages are currently Python and Vue.js. He is also fluent in Javascript, Flutter/Dart, Perl, PHP, SQL, C and bash shell scripting. He loves Linux, and can often be found tinkering with linux kernel code, and source code for GNU applications. He used to be an active developer on XDA forums, and his tinkered ROMS used to be very popular in the early 2000s.

His favorite pastime is grappling with GNU compilers, discovering newer Linux secrets, writing scripts, hacking roms, and programs (nothing illegal), reading, blogging. and testing out the latest gadgets.

When away from the tech world, Dr Joel G. Mathew is a practising ENT Surgeon, busy with surgeries and clinical practise.