Have you ever picked up your Samsung phone, only to find the lock screen staring back at you when you needed to access an important message or email? Lock screens provide necessary security, but can be incredibly frustrating when you‘re locked out of your own device!
Not to worry – I‘ve put together this in-depth guide to walk you through the various methods available to unlock your Samsung phone. We‘ll cover:
- Smart Lock
- Find My Mobile
- Factory reset
- Carrier unlocks
- Region unlocks
I‘ll provide detailed steps for each method, so you can quickly get back into your device. Let‘s dig in…
A Quick Primer on Samsung Locks
Before jumping into the step-by-step instructions, let me provide some helpful context around the various lock types you may encounter:
Screen Locks
This is the standard password, PIN, pattern or biometric lock enabled on your lock screen for general security. Trouble accessing your phone at the lock screen stage? Start with the Smart Lock and Find My Mobile solutions below.
Carrier Locks
A carrier lock prevents you from using your phone on other carrier networks. You‘ll need to contact your carrier directly to remove this type of lock.
Regional Locks
A regional lock is enabled when using your device overseas and prevents you from using foreign SIMs. This is easy to remove by following the region unlock instructions later in this guide.
Now that you know the types of locks, let‘s cover how to bypass them to access your device!
Unlocking with Smart Lock
Smart Lock offers several convenient unlock methods that don‘t require remembering passwords or inputting your PIN each time. Here are the various options with detailed steps:
Top Tip: Enable as many Smart Lock methods below as possible for easiest phone access!
Trusted Locations
Unlock your phone automatically when connected to trusted WiFi networks or GPS locations, like home or work.
To enable:
- Open Settings app and tap "Biometrics and Security"
- Tap "Smart Lock"
- Tap "Places"
- Add home & work addresses
Your phone will now unlock whenever you are connected to those location‘s WiFi networks!
Trusted Devices
Keep your phone unlocked while connected to trusted Bluetooth devices. Great for wireless headphones!
To enable:
- In Smart Lock settings, tap "Devices"
- Tap "Add trusted device"
- Select Bluetooth device to add
Now your phone will unlock whenever connected to that device via Bluetooth.
Facial Recognition
Use your face to conveniently unlock your device.
However, keep in mind facial recognition is less secure than other biometric options.
To set up:
- Open Settings app and tap "Biometrics and Security"
- Tap "Facial recognition"
- Follow on-screen setup prompts
Remember to position your eyes directly in front of the selfie camera for best results when using facial recognition to unlock.
On-Body Detection
Keep your phone unlocked while you have it on you. Your phone will lock when it senses it‘s been stationary for a period of time.
To enable:
- In Smart Lock settings, tap "On-body detection"
- Toggle on
Now you can securely access your phone without having to input your PIN or password every time!
Unlocking with Find My Mobile
If you‘ve previously enabled Find My Mobile, you can use Samsung‘s SmartThings Find website to remotely unlock your phone if locked out of the device itself.
This is by far the easiest screen lock bypass method as long as Find My Mobile is set up!
Here are the steps:
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On your computer or another device, visit SmartThingsFind.samsung.com
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Sign into your Samsung account
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On the map, locate your phone and click "Unlock"
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Enter your Samsung account password
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Click "Unlock" again in the confirmation prompt
That‘s it! Your phone will now be unlocked so you can access it. Find My Mobile is by far the easiest and most secure unlock method if you‘ve previously set it up.
Bypassing Screen Locks with Factory Reset
Warning: Factory reset erases all data on your device. Only use this method as an absolute last resort!
If you don‘t have Smart Lock or Find My Mobile enabled, you may need complete a full factory reset to regain access to your phone:
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On your computer, visit SmartThingsFind.samsung.com
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Sign into your Samsung account
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Locate your phone on the map
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Click "Erase data" to factory reset
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Enter your Samsung account password in the prompt
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Click "Erase" in the warning box
Your phone will now reset back to factory default settings, bypassing any screen locks.
But again, this completely erases all data on your device. So I strongly recommend setting up either Smart Lock or Find My Mobile to avoid data loss in the future if you ever get locked out again.
Unlocking Carrier Locks
If your phone displays network unlock or SIM not supported errors even when entering the correct screen lock passcode, you likely have a carrier-imposed lock. Here‘s what you need to know:
- Carriers use these locks to prevent a device from being used on other networks
- An active carrier lock will display "SIM network unlock PIN" or "SIM not supported" even with the correct passcode
- Contact your carrier to request they remove this lock
- Unlocking fees depend on your carrier and type of device financed
Below I‘ve included some average carrier unlock pricing and timelines for reference:
AT&T Unlock Policy
- Fee: $0
- Eligibility: Device must be paid off & active on network for at least 60 days
- Process time: Instant – 24 hours
Verizon Unlock Policy
- Fee: $0
- Eligibility: Device must be active on Verizon for 60+ days
- Process time: Instant – 24 hours
T-Mobile Unlock Policy
- Fee: $0
- Eligibility: Device must be paid off & active 40+ days
- Process time: Instant – 48 hours
Sprint Unlock Policy
- Fee: $0
- Eligibility: 50+ days active on Sprint network
- Process time: Instant – 48 hours
To summarize, you‘ll need to contact your carrier directly to remove a carrier lock so you can then use your device on other networks. Exact details depend on your carrier and type of device payment plan.
Most carriers will instantly remove locks within 1-2 days once your device is eligible per their policy terms.
Bypassing Regional Locks
Some Samsung devices have regional locks enabled if the phone was activated overseas using a local SIM card. This prevents using the device in another country.
Thankfully it‘s very easy to disable this region lock:
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Insert the SIM card associated with the region your device is from. For example, if you purchased your phone in the U.S., insert a Verizon, AT&T, etc. SIM.
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Make or receive a phone call lasting at least 5 minutes.
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When the call ends, the region lock will be permanently disabled.
Now you can use SIM cards from other regions without issue. This allows hassle-free usage if traveling internationally.
No need to contact your carrier or worry about fees. Just one simple call unlocks full device functionality.
Let‘s Summarize…
Hopefully by now you have a solid understanding of the various options available to unlock both carrier and screen locks on your Samsung phone.
Here‘s a quick summary cheat sheet:
| Unlock Method | Key Details | Data Loss? |
|---|---|---|
| Smart Lock | Location/devices automatically unlock phone | No data loss |
| Find My Mobile | Remote unlocking via Samsung website | No data loss |
| Factory Reset | Erases all data; last resort option | Permanently erases data |
| Carrier Unlocking | Carrier must remove network lock | No data loss |
| Region Unlocking | Make 5+ minute call to disable region lock | No data loss |
My overarching advice would be this:
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Enable Smart Lock for maximum convenience: Set up some trusted locations and Bluetooth devices to keep your phone unlocked in familiar places like home and work. Combining multiple options means you get security when out and about but convenience when in your space.
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Set up Find My Mobile: This gives you remote access for easy unlocking in case you ever do get unexpectedly get locked out of your device. Absolute lifesaver!
Together, Smart Lock and Find My Mobile are all you need to avoid 99% of lock screen frustrations. But now you have comprehensive instructions to reset, carrier unlock, or region unlock your device in any rare situation where you encounter issues down the road.
Let me know if any other questions come up! Happy to help troubleshoot so you avoid any mobile disruptions. Talk soon!
