need to break dot pattern screen lock

[zo07]

My co-workers son recently died and I'm the "tecky" guy and he asked me if I could break into his sons phone. I told him I could try and figure out how and would hate to tell him I can't do it so any help would be gratefully appreciated. It is a droid incredible I believe. Thanks

[ambrown]

First off, my condolences for your friend's loss.

Before you begin just know that I'm not responsible for anything that bricks the phone, causes loss of data, or any other catastrophic damage done. Most of the things I'm going to mention won't cause that, but still, just letting you know the risks beforehand. I also can't guarantee that all the methods I will mention will work with all phone models, and some of the hacks that have been proven on older handsets may not work on newer ones. But even then experts and forensics teams have not been able to crack the pattern lock in the past as noted here: FBI Can't Crack Android Pattern-Screen Lock | Threat Level | Wired.com. Also I have not personally tried any of the below methods myself so I cannot personally vouch for their effectiveness, or safety.

The first method to try is a simple hack. Now the first thing you'll want to do is try looking at the screen to see if there are any smudges on it and try to see if the pattern was drawn out on it. Then try drawing the pattern as you see on the smudges; this is just trial and error to see if you can figure out what the lock was. Some people on the web have suggested that this would work, though I'm personally skeptical about this method it can't hurt to try it out. Obviously if there are no smudges, the screen has been cleaned or wiped, or the smudges are too distorted to make any sense then this method won't work and I'd quickly move on the the next one.

The next method is simple, and just requires a call to the locked phone (so you have to know the number). Here's the full description here on how to do it: Definitive Unlock Pattern Defeat. In a nutshell, what you're doing is trying to call the locked phone and once the call is connected you hit the back button multiple times until you get to the homescreen, then once you're there sign in with an alternate Google account to bypass the lock. This method has been proven on older handsets like the Droid, but I can't say if it'll work on newer handsets as Google may have patched that bug. But again it's a simple hack and worth a shot.

This next method is probably the most technical but if you're comfortable downloading the Android SDK and briefly using the command line then it shouldn't be too difficult. The drawback is that USB debugging has to be enabled for it to work. So unless the phone's owner was in the habit of leaving USB debugging on then this likely won't work. Here's the method described in detail here: Pattern Lock.. Defeated! - xda-developers. Also it describes using the T-Mobile G1, which being the first Android phone is also the oldest, thus this method may or may not work with newer phones.

Now I'm supposing the reason to crack the lock is to obtain user data, such as pictures, messages and other things that the family of the deceased would want to recover. Pulling the SD card can recover some of that data without even touching the lockscreen and may be your best bet for data recovery.

If, however, you can't recover the data in the actual phone and the family would like to either sell it or give to another person to use then you can simply do a factory reset and wipe the phone. !!THIS WILL COMPLETELY WIPE ALL DATA AND IT WILL BE DELETED PERMANENTLY!! It will render the phone usable but it should be considered last if you have any hope of recovering data from the phone itself. But it shouldn't affect the SD card unless you choose to wipe the card also.

This information can of coarse be used for evil as well as good, but I'm trusting that to the individual's conscience who uses this knowledge.

I hope this helps you out and you're able to get somewhere with recovering the device for your coworker. It wouldn't hurt to Google around if you're still stumped since there may be yet another method I haven't covered, or have not yet become aware of. If I find any other methods I'll be sure to update though. And welcome to the forum!

[FoxKat]

I would also like to extend my condolences to the co-worker and his family. I am also impressed with the compassion and help that previous poster, ambrown put forth. This is what makes on open forum a great thing.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[ambrown]

I would also like to extend my condolences to the co-worker and his family. I am also impressed with the compassion and help that previous poster, ambrown put forth. This is what makes on open forum a great thing.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

Aw shucks, it was nothin'. I've been helped plenty on the forum so just returning the favor!

From my Eris (rooted 2.1) using Droid Forums

[cr6]

Condolences to the family as well and well done guys! This is why we love the forum foundry! :thumbup:

tap'n