Device Protection

[MartyDC]

I recently had an interesting experience. I was selling an ASUS tablet running version 7 on ebay. I noted that I had "factory reset" the device. A potential buyer asked me if I had removed my Google Account before resetting the tablet. They claimed that Google accounts had a "device protection" feature that would prevent anyone else from using this tablet. Does ANY of this make any sense to anyone out there? Can an installed Google account survive a factory reset? I don't see how this would be possible.

 

[olbriar]

FRP (factory reset protection) is definitely a thing with Android devices. It is in place as a theft and resale of a phones and tablets preventative. Even following a factory reset, the device requires the original Google user login to unlock the phone. I'm sure it is the same with all Android devices as a crime deterrent.

 

[AugieTN]

I thought a factory reset deleted everything. I sold a couple of early Pixel phones outright with a factory reset and had no complaints. My trade in phones to Google have a factory reset, nothing else.

 

[The_Chief]

I suppose if they're being traded in to Google, then Google knows it's okay for Google to wipe them. However, FRP is a feature designed to prevent thieves from resetting and using/selling someone else's device. If one's Google account is not removed before the factory reset, that Google account must be used to log in on the other side.

Factory reset only deletes user data and cache: it does not touch the Android /boot or /system partitions... which is where that Google account will be waiting. Make sure all data is backed up; start removing accounts until Google is the last one left; remove it and reset the device. Then log into your Google account on a web browser and remove the device from your list of authorized devices. The new owner should have no problem, then, making the device their own.

 

[AugieTN]

Maybe I'm confused, but it sure seems to me that after I do a factory reset, the phones is setup as new. I check before I send it into Google

You need to log into the phone to do a factory reset.

 

[The_Chief]

That is almost the case. Almost. IF the previous owner did not sign out of their Google account before the reset, that phone will remember - because that partition is not deleted in the reset - and will insist on that owner signing back in. No one else will be able to assume ownership of the phone. Again, it's a protection against theft. That's why it's critical for an Android owner to sign out of ALL accounts, including their Google account, before performing the reset to transfer the device to another owner. Factory Reset Protection (FRP) is a feature of Android versions 5.1 (Lollipop) and higher.

 

[Duckster]

Interesting. I just did a factory reset on my Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (to be traded in tomorrow) and I did not sign out of my Google account. I turned the phone on again, and it was factory reset with new info being requested. I'll look at the Google web page and see if I need to remove it from authorized devices. Samsung had sent me a list of what to do to reset the phone, and they did not mention this as part of the reset. Thanks for the info.

 

[olbriar]

It was definitely part of the instructions when I traded in my last Samsung phone for my S21 Ultra.

 

[Duckster]

It was definitely part of the instructions when I traded in my last Samsung phone for my S21 Ultra.

I just looked again. It's not in mine. Thanks to some suggestions above, I was able to sign out of some old devices via my Google account. However, I was only able to sign out. I would have rather removed/deleted them but after scouring Google, I did not find anyone who was able to do that. It just makes them inactive. I hope that after some tome/days, it's removed. I saw one statement that said that Google reserves the right to do that after 2 years of Inactivity.

 

[AugieTN]

It was definitely part of the instructions when I traded in my last Samsung phone for my S21 Ultra.

Interesting. I didn't get those instructions for the Pixels I traded in. Just to do a factory reset.

 

[olbriar]

I grabbed this from Samsung Device Trade-In Program
h) Reactivation Lock, Google Factory Reset Protection, or any other anti-theft locking software must be disabled on your device;

i) Before sending your device to Samsung, you must perform a factory reset on it and remove all personal information.

 

[AugieTN]

Here's Google trade in - factory reset then sent it in - which is all I have ever done. I think I have traded in my last 3 or 4 Pixel phones to Google. Before doing a Google trade in I would factory reset and put the phone on Craigslist. I've never had a complaint that I didn't remove any Google item before the factory reset.

https://store.google.com/us/magazine/trade_in?hl=en-US

 

[ocnbrze]

Here's Google trade in - factory reset then sent it in - which is all I have ever done. I think I have traded in my last 3 or 4 Pixel phones to Google. Before doing a Google trade in I would factory reset and put the phone on Craigslist. I've never had a complaint that I didn't remove any Google item before the factory reset.

https://store.google.com/us/magazine/trade_in?hl=en-US

ok guys lets back up a bit. we are getting two terms confused and both have the same name....sort of. we are talking about "factory reset" and a "hard reset".

doing a hard reset which on most devices usually involves some combination of power + vol buttons.....will trip FRP

a factory reset is actually done from within the phone's settings.....this does not trip FRP

so this:

How to factory reset your Google Pixel phone - Pixel Phone Help

To remove all data from your phone, you can reset your phone to factory settings. Factory resets are also called “formatting” or “hard resets.” Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 8.0

support.google.com

mentions doing a factory reset which is done within the phone's settings.

this is a hard reset for a pixel 6:

Loading…

www.hardreset.info

so again factory reset is ok and will not trip FRP, but a hard reset will trip FRP.......so it will depend on what kind of reset the op did that will determine if FRP has been tripped or not.

 

[ocnbrze]

samsung has a great explaination on what is Google's FRP:

What is Google FRP?

FAQ for Samsung Mobile Device. Find more about 'What is Google FRP?' with Samsung Support.

www.samsung.com

 

[MartyDC]

That is almost the case. Almost. IF the previous owner did not sign out of their Google account before the reset, that phone will remember - because that partition is not deleted in the reset - and will insist on that owner signing back in. No one else will be able to assume ownership of the phone. Again, it's a protection against theft. That's why it's critical for an Android owner to sign out of ALL accounts, including their Google account, before performing the reset to transfer the device to another owner. Factory Reset Protection (FRP) is a feature of Android versions 5.1 (Lollipop) and higher.

Thanks. Your response was consistent with what the buyer was saying. I apparently DID sign out of my Google account on this device before the reset because when I turned it back on and signed into a different google account it, it accepted the sign-in.

 

[ocnbrze]

Thanks. Your response was consistent with what the buyer was saying. I apparently DID sign out of my Google account on this device before the reset because when I turned it back on and signed into a different google account it, it accepted the sign-in.

but you did not necessarily have to. the reason it worked is because you did the reset from within the phone's settings.....so frp was not tripped. it does not hurt to sign out first. it is a good practice to do.

now if you had done a hard reset on your tablet, then signing out first is an absolute must, especially if you plan on selling it.