Major Flaw with Pattern Lock or How to Brick your Droid
If you try to enter the pattern incorrectly too many times it will take you to a screen that says you have too many pattern attemps and it asks for your Google username and Password. No big deal right. WRONG!!
Apparentlythis has been an issue since the G1.
It WILL NOT accept your correct username and password. I tried to use username@gmail.com. I tried username@googlemail.com as some suggested on an older G1 post on google mobile help. Nothing works. They talk of doing a wipe or factory reset of your phone in one post but that is not the way to reset the Moto droid.
I talked to phone support at VZW and they put me through to tier 2 support and they told me to go to a store and see if they could help me. They replaced my 2 day old Droid at the store and now I am afraid to use the pattern lock feature.
If you try to enter the pattern incorrectly too many times it will take you to a screen that says you have too many pattern attemps and it asks for your Google username and Password. No big deal right. WRONG!!
Apparentlythis has been an issue since the G1.
It WILL NOT accept your correct username and password. I tried to use username@gmail.com. I tried username@googlemail.com as some suggested on an older G1 post on google mobile help. Nothing works. They talk of doing a wipe or factory reset of your phone in one post but that is not the way to reset the Moto droid.
I talked to phone support at VZW and they put me through to tier 2 support and they told me to go to a store and see if they could help me. They replaced my 2 day old Droid at the store and now I am afraid to use the pattern lock feature.
Coming from a BB Storm that was the first thing I tried. But in case I wasn't clear in my post..... I worked with VZW support on this for a couple of hours and when i took it to the store, they worked on it for an hour before they said they COULD NOT fix it and they would have to replace it.
Coming from a BB Storm that was the first thing I tried. But in case I wasn't clear in my post..... I worked with VZW support on this for a couple of hours and when i took it to the store, they worked on it for an hour before they said they COULD NOT fix it and they would have to replace it.
Sorry but that wasn't the case with a G1. If you made the wrong pattern to many times, it would lock you out for a cerain period of time. I am not sure what happened after that, but I had my phone G1 for over a year and never heard of this being an issue.
Sorry but that wasn't the case with a G1. If you made the wrong pattern to many times, it would lock you out for a cerain period of time. I am not sure what happened after that, but I had my phone G1 for over a year and never heard of this being an issue.
Sorry...? I am sorry. I guess I should of posted proof of my statement being complety true. What I am talking about is talked about in the below links. Also if you click the "Forgot Pattern?" on the moto droid button during the temporary lock out the same will occur.
I have since found out how to do the Hard Reset that should fix the problem but I am not going to try on my phone.
This is how you do a Hard Reset:
You can hard reset your Motorola Droid phone if you want clear all of the data off of the device and start fresh. Here’s how it’s done.
1. Turn the Droid off. If it won’t turn off, take the battery out then place it back in.
2. Open the keyboard and press the X key while pressing and holding Power. The device will power on. Keep holding the buttons downuntil a yellow triangle appers.
3. Press the Camera and Volume Up buttons at the same time to get to the menu. (I had to press them several times).
4. Use the direction pad to the right of the keyboard to select the Format option.
The Following User Says Thank You to nastybynature For This Useful Post:
My girlfriend decided to play what I assumed was a harmless "guess my pattern" game. Needless to say, I appreciate the hard reset information greatly. I am EXTREMELY disappointed that such a serious bug exists.
My girlfriend decided to play what I assumed was a harmless "guess my pattern" game. Needless to say, I appreciate the hard reset information greatly. I am EXTREMELY disappointed that such a serious bug exists.
Google, WTH?
Actually after doing a hard reset the bug disappeared on my droid. Now when I do 20 misses on the pattern lock and it asks for my google info it gives you a reset pattern screen.
When I first got my phone, I made a rediculously hard unlock pattern and I forgot it (it might not have been that hard, but I was probably high). All it did was lock me out for 30 seconds and I tried again (took me the whole 30 seconds to figure it out and remember it.
So I don't think this bug is on all the phones, maybe look at your manufacture date (mine is 40/09...I think) if yours is older maybe a bad software batch??
Last edited by Watashi; November 14th, 2009 at 01:25 AM.
When I first got my phone, I made a rediculously hard unlock pattern and I forgot it (it might not have been that hard, but I was probably high). All it did was lock me out for 30 seconds and I tried again (took me the whole 30 seconds to figure it out and remember it.
So I don't think this bug is on all the phones, maybe look at your manufacture date (mine is 40/09...I think) if yours is older maybe a bad software batch??
After 5 missed tries it locks you out for 30sec. After the 15th it warns you that after 5 more missed tries you will have to enter google info. After the 20th missed try it takes you to a screen that says you have to enter google info to unlock it. Now when this first happened Sunday after they went on sale, it WOULD NOT take the correct google info. Just said invalid username or password. No one was able to fix it and my phone was replaced at a VZW store.
Now that I know the hard wipe sequence I did it again on purpose on the 2nd droid that was given at exchange for the first one and it did the same thing. Now I found that after the hard wipe it no longer gave invalid username and password and would unlock the phone without having to do a hard wipe.
in other words you did not miss it 20 times on a row to get to this screen we are talking about. Try missing it 20 times in a row waiting for each 30sec lockout that occurs after 5 missed tries. Then see if your google info will get you back in.
That's odd. It worked fine when I did it. Now that I realized I can't remember a pattern worth shit I don't use it. But it didn't give me any trouble logging in to my gmail account. I did it on the launch day or day after I forgot.
Really ? Then why did you buy a smart phone ? hehe
I don't know about you, but if i lost my phone, i don't think i'd want anyone flipping through my contacts, files, emails, VPN connection, picasa and so on ..
You probably have data on there that you'd want to hide, you just don't realize it yet.. I lost a PDA once and it made me nervous for months.
FYI: entering the username without the @gmail will NOT work; I've played with this bug over and over again without success; luckily I know my lock pattern and was trying to figure this out just in case I do forget my lock pattern at some point in the future;
as to someone's question - why someone would want to lock their phone: some of us use our phones for business purposes, thus there is sensitive data in there that needs to be protected. Anyone that finds a solution gets a gold star from me. =)
Same exact thing happened to me last Friday when I got the phone, I was locked out of the phone all day during a conference, couldn't do anything except stare at it and see the notification LED blink and read little parts of texts/e-mails I was getting (really frustrating ). Went to a Verizon store after the conference was over, they played with it for what seemed like forever, we changed my gmail password numerous times, and they finally gave me a new phone after 2 1/2 hours... needless to say, I haven't set a lock pattern for my new phone
+1, ran into this issue, another individual tried to get into my phone and "bricked" it. I was able to use the workaround to get back in the phone. But I have to use the workaround everytime after my phone sleeps or I turn off the display myself, because it goes back to wanting my google password, which doesn't work.
After 5 missed tries it locks you out for 30sec. After the 15th it warns you that after 5 more missed tries you will have to enter google info. After the 20th missed try it takes you to a screen that says you have to enter google info to unlock it. Now when this first happened Sunday after they went on sale, it WOULD NOT take the correct google info. Just said invalid username or password. No one was able to fix it and my phone was replaced at a VZW store.
Now that I know the hard wipe sequence I did it again on purpose on the 2nd droid that was given at exchange for the first one and it did the same thing. Now I found that after the hard wipe it no longer gave invalid username and password and would unlock the phone without having to do a hard wipe.
in other words you did not miss it 20 times on a row to get to this screen we are talking about. Try missing it 20 times in a row waiting for each 30sec lockout that occurs after 5 missed tries. Then see if your google info will get you back in.
If I cant remember my lock pattern in 20 tries the chances I will remember my google sign in is very unlikely :-)
I set a different pattern last night and immediately forgot what it was... But, I had no issues with using my Google login info to reset it. Worked perfectly for me.
My sister constantly try to guess my pattern to unlock my phone on my moto droid. She has tried so much to were i have to put the username and password. I only have had to do that once but it worked fine. I even used the same pattern when recreating the new one.
I don't use the lock pattern, but I have to ask the original poster anyway. When you were trying "username@XXXX.com", did you ever just try "username"? The only reason I ask is because on any Google page, you log in using the user name only, not your e-mail address.
__________________ The following statement is true The previous statement is false
I don't use the lock pattern, but I have to ask the original poster anyway. When you were trying "username@XXXX.com", did you ever just try "username"? The only reason I ask is because on any Google page, you log in using the user name only, not your e-mail address.
"username", "username@gmail.com", and "username@googlemail.com" all do not work if you are unfortunate enough to have a Droid that carries this particular bug. the issue does not appear to be a wrong entry, as the phone does not attempt to connect to the network when "checking" the correctness of the entry. Question for those for whom this is NOT an issue - does your droid seem to contact the network when you enter the username and password, or does it seem to pull it out of some in-phone hidey hole?
i remember this happening to me once too BUT it did not brick my phone. my coworker was playing with my phone and he tried to guess my pw too many times. got that screen to enter your gmail/google info or whatever. i entered in my gmail acct associated with the phone. didnt work. tried again. didnt work. and then, i forgot what i did, but i think i just hit "cancel" or the back button and backed out of that screen somehow, and got back to the unlock screen, entered my pw, and it unlocked.
After 5 missed tries it locks you out for 30sec. After the 15th it warns you that after 5 more missed tries you will have to enter google info. After the 20th missed try it takes you to a screen that says you have to enter google info to unlock it.
Wow, that's really lenient. You forget your PIN at the ATM and you get like 3 tries before you're locked out and have to call customer service.
Yes the username password thing is a problem, but you gotta admit, it takes a hell of a lot of work to get there.
Here's a tip: Use a pattern that makes sense to you. With the dot configuration you can make several letters and numbers, such as J, C, h, L, u, N, T, X, S, 4, 2, z, y, M, W, G and V. I was using a checkmark gesture for awhile.
And as to the "I don't have anything to hide" person? You'd be surprised what can be done with your phone in just a few minutes. My partner didn't lock his phone, and left it on the bus. He realized the second he got off the bus that he lost his phone. Within minutes a group of kids found his phone, went through his call logs and text messages and started sending f*cked up messages to me and to his sister. They said they had killed him, that they had beaten him up, that they were still beating him up. His phone didn't have internet access or gmail access -- imagine what someone could do with just 5 minutes and access to everything on your phone. If they have access to your work email, they could get you fired. If they have access to other important information they could get you sued, you could loose clients, friends, potential dates. A little digging could turn up that your friend who just got a ps3 is on vacation and here's his address, now your unlocked phone has compromised someone else's safety.
It's not about what you have to hide, it's about what someone can do to your life in the time it takes you to realize your phone is missing and try to recover it or have it shut off.
I had the same problem, I think i may have found the solution.
I was able to unlock it with the last account that I had added to gmail. So in other words not my primary account.
It would be interesting know if this works for someone else.
chris
That is kinda interesting. I have 3 gmail accounts sync'd to my phone. Which account would unlock my phone? How would I find out in advance?
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This is your mobile operator and we just found out you are too dumb to use your phone, so please put it on ground and start jumping on it . Thank you
For me it was the last account that I added to android. When I setup my phone I added my primary account first and my secondary accounts next. The one that unlocks the phone is the last account that I entered.
I can attest that this is true. I set the pattern lock, and was seeing what happens if you do not enter it correctly. It locked me out for 30 seconds, and gives you a link to enter your google account info to reset the passcode. I entered my information and it did not work. After the 30 seconds, I entered the correct password and turned off passcode lock. I will not be using it until this is fixed!
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iPhone -> iPhone 3g -> Blackberry Bold 9700 -> *Switch to VZW from ATT* -> Moto Droid!
I had the same problem, I think i may have found the solution.
I was able to unlock it with the last account that I had added to gmail. So in other words not my primary account.
It would be interesting know if this works for someone else.
chris
REP to you good sir!!!!
I haven't had a pattern lock for some time and just turned it on, no idea what it was apparently because I went through all 20 tries with no success, was about to call VZW but then decided what the hell, why not try my other google account even though its not the primary and presto, unlocked and let me set a new code, not that I'll need it, I'm never turning that shit on again LOL!!!
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Oh my god, it works.... like its suppose to!!!
Is it suppose to do THAT?!?!?!
Device(s): Let me first apologize for hurting your feelings before I tell you the truth...
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I never use the pattern lock, but I have to say that if this is true, it's far worse a security issue than people being locked out of their phones. A lock is used for a reason. Yeah, you should be able to get in, but others should NEVER be able to, even if you need to break out the bolt cutters in the end.
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Droid: UD Extreme 7.0 driving a Chevy ULV 125-1000
Xoom: Rooted, Overclocked, SD enabled, Themed,ready for da biznich...
I have a Moto Droid that is completely locked up. None of the fixes so far work. In fact, there was never a lock pattern set up on the phone, so I'm not sure if somehow got "pocket" set???
Is anyone still having issues with this?
I have tried all of the fixes I can find on many different sites.
-leaving off @gmail.com
-trying xxxxxx@google.mail.com
-resetting gmail password online
-using old passwords
-typing in the word "null" as the password
-having someone else call and hitting the back button after answering
-repeatedly opening and closing phone while hitting any multitude of buttons (there are a bunch of theories on this one)
-flipping off the computer screen with BOTH hands
Nothing. I think I'm going to have to try a factory reset. I just can't believe that this is a known bug that has been around for 8 months plus and it is still happening to people.
OK... so I don't know if this worked for me by some sort of Droid magic, but I'll post it in case it helps someone else.
-Turn off phone
-Power up into recovery
-Wipe cache partition
-Reboot
When the phone came back up, it still showed the lock screen, but this time it took the first thing I put in. I'm glad I happened to remember what I put in, because the phone will ask you for the old pattern in order to disable the lock pattern in Settings.
After that I realized that nothing was syncing to Google, which may have been caused by other attempts to unlock the phone (i.e. - password changes). I had to re-enter the Google account information and new password, then sync everything. So far so good. I just wish there was a way to permanently get rid of the pattern lock option.
I don't consider myself better or smarter than anyone on here, but I just find it unbelievable to think you could forget your unlock pattern and/or be so worried about forgetting it that you don't use one at all. I mean, some many not prefer to have one, but to not have it just because you are afraid of forgetting it is kind of sad. I mean, how do you remember your voicemail password (if required), ATM pin, SSN, etc if you can't remember a simple 4-5 dot pattern? Again, not calling any one person out on this thread (God knows I've made my own share of dumb mistakes), but I just don't understand how this can be an issue. And even if you do forget it momentarily, 19 attempts sound like more than enough to refresh your memory.
I'd also spend 30 minutes poking fun at the nimrod who couldn't understand why phone security might be worth having, but I'm watching House right now and don't feel like making my fingers tired over someone who probably can't read well anyway.
It's not a matter of not remembering it, but sometimes background process (think sync) will make the interface completely slow to respond.
Last week I was trying to enter my pattern, and I swiped it as normal - and it entered 3 incorrect swipes successively, as it entered the first 2 dots then gave me an error about being the wrong pattern, skipped the 3rd dot and entered the 4-6th dots, same error, then entered the last dot and again gave me the error message. I turned off the screen and waited a couple of minutes and tried again and it took all 7 dots the first time. I've been using the same swipe pattern since I enabled it way back when when it was first available to me, so I know I didn't forget it - bu as you can see, the phone was simply not able to respond fast enough to my super-fast swiping, and I almost had locked my phone.
The Motorola Droid - the first ever Verizon Android Phone - exploded onto the mobile market with an incredibly successful ad campaign that brough Android to the masses. With a huge and vibrant touchscreen, solid metal body, full QWERTY keyboard, 5M... Read More
Major Flaw with Pattern Lock or How to Brick your Droid
). Went to a Verizon store after the conference was over, they played with it for what seemed like forever, we changed my gmail password numerous times, and they finally gave me a new phone after 2 1/2 hours... needless to say, I haven't set a lock pattern for my new phone 
But, I had no issues with using my Google login info to reset it. Worked perfectly for me.
