How to Unlock Samsung Phone in 2 Easy Steps, With Photos

Key Points

• There are various reasons why you might find yourself unable to unlock your Samsung phone.
• Troubleshoot common issues with facial or fingerprint recognition for unlocking your phone.
• Use Find My Mobile to easily unlock your Samsung phone by signing in and clicking the Unlock button.
• As a last resort, you can factory reset your Samsung phone to unlock it, but this will delete all your personal data.
• Contact your mobile carrier to remove a network lock or make a phone call lasting 5 minutes to remove a region lock from your Samsung phone.

As the complexity of the technology we frequently use increases, it’s only natural that we need to implement greater levels of security to keep our personal information safe. But this can cause a headache, especially when it comes to your smartphone. Many of us use these devices every day, be it for work or play. Therefore, it can be very disruptive when we’re locked out of our mobile. If you’re struggling with this issue and wondering how to unlock a Samsung phone, rest assured that you’ll find the answers you need in this article. We’re going to cover the different methods available to you. However you normally access your device, you’ll find a solution that works for you.

Why Can’t I Unlock My Phone?

There are various reasons why you might find yourself unable to unlock your Samsung phone. The best thing to do to begin with is to determine how you usually unlock your phone. This could be through a simple password or PIN (i.e. combination of numbers), or through biometric security such as facial or fingerprint recognition. We’re going to troubleshoot any biometric security problems you may have first. This will apply to you if you use your face or fingerprint to access your device. If not, feel free to skip ahead to the unlock methods described afterwards.

How to Troubleshoot Your Facial or Fingerprint Recognition

If you’ve activated biometric security on your device, this can sometimes be temperamental. These are the most common issues that you may be able to solve:

• Make sure you’re using the correct fingerprint. This may seem obvious, but it’s very easy for us to forget exactly which of our fingers we’ve used to unlock our phone, especially as we have so many security protocols to remember. Be careful when trying this, as if you input too many incorrect attempts, you’ll have to use your backup password or PIN instead.
• Spread your fingerprint evenly and flatly over the fingerprint sensor. If you place your finger bent or at an angle, the sensor won’t be able to read it accurately and unlock your phone.
• To scan your fingerprint effectively, your finger must be clean and dry. So, if you’ve just got out of the shower, be sure to dry your finger thoroughly before attempting to unlock your phone.
• Check your fingerprint or facial sensor for signs of damage. This could be a full crack or even a relatively minor scratch, but your sensor may still not function properly because of this. Similarly, if you have a screen protector, it’s a good idea to check if this is damaged as well. If either of these are showing signs of damage, you may have to resort to your backup PIN or password or continue on to one of our other solutions.

How to Unlock Samsung Phone Using Find My Mobile

If you’ve already activated Find My Mobile and you’re signed into your Samsung account, you’re in luck. This is one of the easiest ways to regain access to your device. Follow these next steps and your device will be unlocked in no time.

Step 1: Go to the SmartThings Find Website and Sign In

Firstly, follow this link to go to the SmartThings Find site, and click the Sign in button. You’ll then have to enter your Samsung email and password, sign in with your Google account, or scan a QR code from your device. This will bring you to a new screen, with a map showing the location of your phone, and some more services you can interact with.

Step 2: Unlock Your Phone

To finish, click the Unlock button on the menu on the top right. Next, you’ll need to click Unlock, enter your Samsung password, and then hit Unlock again. This will reset all of your lock settings, including your biometric security, PIN, password, and swipe pattern.

How to Unlock Samsung Phone Using Smart Lock

While Smart Lock doesn’t offer quite as much security as Find My Mobile or traditional passwords and PINs, it can help you get into your device quickly if you have it enabled. The steps below show you how to do this.

Step 1: Use On-Body Detection

The easiest way to unlock your phone using Smart Lock is if you have on-body detection enabled. This unlocks your phone for up to 4 hours as long as it’s in motion. Simply move your device, and it should unlock the lock screen.

Step 2: Go to a Trusted Location

Another way to unlock your phone is if you have a trusted place set. Once you are in the range of this location, your device will detect it through Wi-Fi or GPS. This will disable your lock security so that your phone will unlock.

Step 3: Connect to a Trusted Device

Alternatively, another way to unlock your phone using Smart Lock is to connect to a trusted device, if you’ve set one up. This is usually a Bluetooth device, such as wireless headphones, or a smartwatch. Once you pair this with your phone, it will unlock and you can get past the lock screen.

How to Unlock Samsung Phone Using Factory Reset

This method is a last resort. You should only use this if you don’t have Smart Lock or Find My Mobile set up on your device. A factory reset will remove all your personal information and data from your device, so be sure you have no other options before proceeding with these steps.

Step 1: Go to the SmartThings Find Website

First, go to the SmartThings Find site as with the first method, and sign in to your Samsung account.

Step 2: Factory Reset Your Phone

Next, hit the Erase data button, and enter your Samsung password when prompted. You’ll be asked to click Erase again, so if you’re sure you want to do this, hit the button and your device will be reset to its factory settings. This will allow you to unlock your device.

How to Unlock Samsung Phone With a Network Lock

Another situation is where you know your lock screen credentials, but your device is either network or region-locked. Network locks are where your mobile carrier doesn’t allow you to use SIM cards from other carriers with your device. This is usually to ensure you finish your contract with them. Generally, you’ll receive a message that your SIM is incompatible when you try to use a different SIM. To remove a network lock, you’ll have to contact your mobile carrier, and potentially pay a small fee, usually once your contract has expired.

How to Unlock Samsung Phone With a Region Lock

On the other hand, the manufacturer of your phone implements a region lock, rather than the carrier. This prevents you from using your device outside of the region it’s intended for, and is put in place once you activate a SIM. To remove the region lock from your Samsung phone, simply make a phone call lasting at least 5 minutes in the region your device originates from. For example, if you’re using a U.S. SIM card, you’ll have to either make or receive a call and stay on the line for 5 minutes. After this, the region lock will be removed permanently, and you can use another region’s SIM with your device.

Wrapping Up

There are a lot of ways to lock your Samsung phone. But you can get around most of these by using the Samsung Find My Mobile service, or by going to a trusted place, or connecting a trusted device. To use these services, you’ll need to activate them from your security settings on your device. You’ll also need to know your Samsung account or Google account details. Alternatively, you can scan a QR code from your device if your camera is working properly.

If you haven’t got Find My Mobile or Smart Lock set up, you can factory reset your phone. But this will delete all of your data and information, so this is best used as a complete last resort. If you have facial or fingerprint recognition activated, it’s wise to check you’re using them correctly first and that the sensors are working properly before proceeding. When you simply want to remove a network or region lock from your phone, you’ll need to either contact your mobile carrier or make or receive a phone call lasting at least 5 minutes to remove each lock, respectively.

Summary Table

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Samsung media kit.