How to change your Android password or reset it
Follow these instructions to change or reset your Android passwords
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You may use two passwords regularly on your Android phone: your lock screen pin or password and yourGoogleAccount password.
Your lock screen pin or password grants you access to your phone. Use a biometric unlocking mechanism, like fingerprint or facial recognition. You may not often enter your lock screen pin or password, but it’s still important to know it.
Your Google Account password is used for logging into your Google Account on your phone, enabling you to synchronize your data, access theGoogle Play store, and more. If you forget your Google Account password or get locked out for some reason, you’ll need to change it to continue accessing all your information.
In this article, we’ll look at how to change and reset the passwords you use on your Android, whether for the lock screen or to access your Google Account.
How to change your Android password
To change your Google Account password from your Android device, follow these steps:
Your new password will take effect immediately. You’ll be signed out of all your devices except those used to verify your identity when signing in (for so-called two-factor authentication) and specific mobile devices and home devices with third-party apps that have been given access to your account.
To change the pin or password you use on your phone’s lock screen, follow these steps:
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How to reset your Android password
If you’ve lost or forgotten your Google Account password, you’ll need to follow these steps to reset it:
Security enhancements in recent versions of Android hardware, firmware, and software have all made it much more difficult to access an Android phone without the lock screen pin, password, or sequence. There are a few things you can try.
First, if you’ve set up the Smart Lock feature to unlock when it detects your home WiFi automatically, try taking your phone home, and it should automatically open for you. Otherwise, if you’re using aSamsungdevice and have registered it with a Samsung account, you can useSamsung’s Find My Mobilewebsite to unlock your phone remotely.
For older Android devices (4.4 KitKat or older), you can enter theincorrectpin, password, or sequence five times to be presented with aForgot pattern/pinmessage. You can use your Google Account to reset the lock screen.
If none of these cases apply to you, you’ll have to erase your device and start over. You’ll lose data and files that are stored in it, but everything that’s been synced via your Google Account will be fine.
Christian is a freelance writer and content project manager with 6+ years' experience writing and leading teams in finance and technology for some of the world’s largest online publishers, including TechRadar and Tom’s Guide.
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