Hello all,
This is a strange request but desperate times call for desperate measures. My father recently got himself a new Samsung Galaxy S5 here in Australia, unfortunately a tragic motorcycle accident on the 1st of this month led to my father no longer being with us. This was heartbreaking for my family and I, I now have in my possession his phone, It is still operational from what I can gather, it still rings, still vibrates when hooking up to my laptop and it detects it. The screen is completely smashed and doesn't work and the phone is locked. I want to be able to access the phone to recover any photos etc he has on the phone itself, I am unaware of what type of screenlock is on it.
So far I tried Samsung Kies but due to the phone being locked I can't use that,. Nothing shows up on the phone in windows explorer. I've downloaded [email protected] and android studio and have tried to get that to show up so I can see whats on the screen and attempt to use android control to unlock the phone but so far I've had no such luck. I need usb debugging enabled but I'm going to have to assume its disabled and thus proving my attempts so far to be fruitless.
If anyone can give me any ideas or things to try I'm all ears, I'm ok with computers so should be able to figure out most things but this is my first exposure to these types of applications.
Kind regards,
Eric.
trekster83 said:
Hello all,
This is a strange request but desperate times call for desperate measures. My father recently got himself a new Samsung Galaxy S5 here in Australia, unfortunately a tragic motorcycle accident on the 1st of this month led to my father no longer being with us. This was heartbreaking for my family and I, I now have in my possession his phone, It is still operational from what I can gather, it still rings, still vibrates when hooking up to my laptop and it detects it. The screen is completely smashed and doesn't work and the phone is locked. I want to be able to access the phone to recover any photos etc he has on the phone itself, I am unaware of what type of screenlock is on it.
So far I tried Samsung Kies but due to the phone being locked I can't use that,. Nothing shows up on the phone in windows explorer. I've downloaded [email protected] and android studio and have tried to get that to show up so I can see whats on the screen and attempt to use android control to unlock the phone but so far I've had no such luck. I need usb debugging enabled but I'm going to have to assume its disabled and thus proving my attempts so far to be fruitless.
If anyone can give me any ideas or things to try I'm all ears, I'm ok with computers so should be able to figure out most things but this is my first exposure to these types of applications.
Kind regards,
Eric.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, I'm really sorry for your loss..
If he had a microSD card in his phone, it's likely that his pictures (and other documents) are on the card.
If that's the case, unless he encrypted the content, you should be able to just remove the microSD card and read it on your computer with a card reader.
Eric, do you have a MHL adaptor & HDMI tv?
You can view the screen on this via tv.
If I understand well he is able to see the screen but cannot pass the security lock. If that's the case try to connect the phone to your PC and copy all the internal SD card, I think you will be able to access the content. Also not sure if a factory reset will deactivate the screen lock but you can try it in an ultimate attempt.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
mikka06 said:
If I understand well he is able to see the screen but cannot pass the security lock. If that's the case try to connect the phone to your PC and copy all the internal SD card, I think you will be able to access the content. Also not sure if a factory reset will deactivate the screen lock but you can try it in an ultimate attempt.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on the type of security lock.
If it's swipe, then he can see the content by connecting the phone to the PC, but not if it's a password, fingerprint, pin, ...
He would have to unlock the screen before the files are available.
Sorry to hear of your loss, especially at this time of year.
The idea of copying the SD card is the first step. If I read you're message right you can't see the screen at all?? I would take the device to a repair shop and get the screen replaced - tell them very clearly NOT to wipe / reset the device. Then you should be able to see the screen and might be able to figure out the screen lock. If the fingerprint reader was used there will always be an alternative password, you might be able to reset this to the gmail account used on the phone (assuming you have access to this?).
Hope you get it sorted.
Mithrandir007 said:
First of all, I'm really sorry for your loss..
If he had a microSD card in his phone, it's likely that his pictures (and other documents) are on the card.
If that's the case, unless he encrypted the content, you should be able to just remove the microSD card and read it on your computer with a card reader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I copied all of the sd card and as it was copying it died, so I have most of the data off that.
DeanonZL said:
Eric, do you have a MHL adaptor & HDMI tv?
You can view the screen on this via tv.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I don't have the adaptor but I do have a HDMI tv, so I will investigate this, thank you.
mikka06 said:
If I understand well he is able to see the screen but cannot pass the security lock. If that's the case try to connect the phone to your PC and copy all the internal SD card, I think you will be able to access the content. Also not sure if a factory reset will deactivate the screen lock but you can try it in an ultimate attempt.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cannot see the screen, and when I connect it to pc to check if there is anything on the phone itself, It won't let me as the phone is keypad/swipe/fingerprint locked.
Mithrandir007 said:
It depends on the type of security lock.
If it's swipe, then he can see the content by connecting the phone to the PC, but not if it's a password, fingerprint, pin, ...
He would have to unlock the screen before the files are available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I am trying to find out what lock is on the phone.
MadMic said:
Sorry to hear of your loss, especially at this time of year.
The idea of copying the SD card is the first step. If I read you're message right you can't see the screen at all?? I would take the device to a repair shop and get the screen replaced - tell them very clearly NOT to wipe / reset the device. Then you should be able to see the screen and might be able to figure out the screen lock. If the fingerprint reader was used there will always be an alternative password, you might be able to reset this to the gmail account used on the phone (assuming you have access to this?).
Hope you get it sorted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took it to a repair shop, its a catch 22 situation, They want $150 to pull the data off the phone, and if there is no data of use then thats a waste of money, They wants $240 to replace the screen, the phone has a very slight bend in it so if I replace the screen the phone still may not be able to be used properly so again would be a waste of money.
This is the main reason why I am trying to at least view the screen to ascertain what lock is used, I do have his gmail credentials so I can reset from there, from what I understand resetting the phone also loses any data (messages, pictures, etc) that is on the actual phone.
Last but not least thank you to everyone so far for your replies, I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply and try to help!
Regards,
Eric.
trekster83 said:
I copied all of the sd card and as it was copying it died, so I have most of the data off that.
No I don't have the adaptor but I do have a HDMI tv, so I will investigate this, thank you.
Cannot see the screen, and when I connect it to pc to check if there is anything on the phone itself, It won't let me as the phone is keypad/swipe/fingerprint locked.
This is what I am trying to find out what lock is on the phone.
I took it to a repair shop, its a catch 22 situation, They want $150 to pull the data off the phone, and if there is no data of use then thats a waste of money, They wants $240 to replace the screen, the phone has a very slight bend in it so if I replace the screen the phone still may not be able to be used properly so again would be a waste of money.
This is the main reason why I am trying to at least view the screen to ascertain what lock is used, I do have his gmail credentials so I can reset from there, from what I understand resetting the phone also loses any data (messages, pictures, etc) that is on the actual phone.
Last but not least thank you to everyone so far for your replies, I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply and try to help!
Regards,
Eric.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries.
Do you know if he was using Cerberus or Theftspy or another anti theft tool?
If he did and you can find out his credentials, you should also be able to unlock the phone with a command (at least Cerberus does that) or even transfer all the data to a cloud (dropbox, google drive,...).
Could he not physically open the phone and get to the actual sd card that the phone comes with that the OS and all that is on? Or is that locked down?
Sent from my SM-G900A using Tapatalk
I had a idea for the lock screen but it will not help with seeing which you would have to deal with first. Any chance he left Gmail loged on any computer you have access to. You could try installing a app to bypass the lock screen.
I have never tried this one it was just the first I found that fit my theory of a workaround, although you could look around for a free one that may be better then you wouldn't have to worry about passwords to do the purchase.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.thomascannon.screenlockbypass.pro
shadowofdarkness said:
I had a idea for the lock screen but it will not help with seeing which you would have to deal with first. Any chance he left Gmail loged on any computer you have access to. You could try installing a app to bypass the lock screen.
I have never tried this one it was just the first I found that fit my theory of a workaround, although you could look around for a free one that may be better then you wouldn't have to worry about passwords to do the purchase.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.thomascannon.screenlockbypass.pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you know his samsung account information, you can login to their web service and remove the lockscreen passcode. From there, you should be able to USB the files off of it.
A friend of mine bought an S5 off eBay and, 2 days later, dropped it from the height of less than 2 feet, in its lifeproof case. The screen stopped turning on. The capactive buttons still work and you can hear audio feedback (even somehow managed to enable talkback that won't shut up) but you can't see anything. No dice getting into recovery or fastboot. Of course, the device is unrooted and untampered with, to the best of my knowledge. She took it to the Samsung Store and they hooked it up to a computer and did something which made the screen work again, so she factory reset it, but then apparently touching the corners of the screen made it go yellow. She restarted the phone and the blank screen persisted.
I have zero experience with Samsungs so I decided to play with this thing till she manages to return it. Updated to Lollipop (via Kies3), nothing. I even tried to take screenshots to view on the computer and navigate that way but it wouldn't take screenshots. My plan was to enable debugging and take it from there, but obviously I'm unable to do that. I looked into screenmirroring but the best bet seems to be Samsung's own SideSync utility, but that requires the Android app to be installed phone-side, which is obviously impossible at the moment.
Any suggestions welcome. Best case scenario I obviously hope to be able to fix the phone myself, but if not, then at least familiarize myself with this scenario if all else fails (tinkerholic. Also I refuse to be out-teched by a Samsung Store employee). I've heard of Z3X and NsPro but I obviously don't plan to invest in their hardware. However I am confident that there has to be an adb solution of sorts, so my first challenge is to enable USB debugging.
If she's registered her Google (playstore) account details on the device, then she can visit playstore through a pc and when she installs an app via pc it will get installed to the device.......
At least, that certainly used to be the case, as in the past, I've done just that...
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg
So i accidentally dropped my phone this week and it decided to crack and become unresponsive. I really don't want to repair the screen as I requested a replacement phone however, I just want to know how can I bypass the pattern lock when you restart your phone. I downloaded Android studio but I'm not that savvy on how to use it to remove the pattern lock. Can anyone help me with unlocking my old S8 so I can at least try to remove my old data to my new phone some how. Mind you I can't even enable USB debugging since the screen isn't responsive. I just want to get my pictures and contacts off that phone before returning it. PLEASE HELP!! FYI.. I can follow instructions if it's code/script related.
Try an USB-ToGo adapter, connect an USB-Mouse and transfer files with "Send Anywhere" for example.
Hi, so I recently smashed the H*** out of my Essential Phone. I put my sim in my wife's old Nexus to try and get back into the Gmail account I've had for 10+ years, and they've forced 2 step verification onto my account and will not let me use my number for recovery. The ONLY way to complete this verification is to use my Broken Essential Phone to accept screen prompt. So here's my question... I was rooted, with TWRP and Custom rom but do have Full Back ups on my computer, so if I were able to get another essential phone and root it, would I be able to then restore the factory image and back ups I had created for this old essential phone onto the new device and gain access to my Gmail account that way, or am I totally out of luck unless I fix my smashed phone enuf to get to the screen on to accept screen prompt to verify my identity....? Any insight here is greatly appreciated. I have 1000's of $$ invested in that Gmail and have been unable to access it for a week now. Google has been zero help. Sorry if. This is posted in the wrong space, I haven't been here in a while.
Kushmin05h said:
Hi, so I recently smashed the H*** out of my Essential Phone. I put my sim in my wife's old Nexus to try and get back into the Gmail account I've had for 10+ years, and they've forced 2 step verification onto my account and will not let me use my number for recovery. The ONLY way to complete this verification is to use my Broken Essential Phone to accept screen prompt. So here's my question... I was rooted, with TWRP and Custom rom but do have Full Back ups on my computer, so if I were able to get another essential phone and root it, would I be able to then restore the factory image and back ups I had created for this old essential phone onto the new device and gain access to my Gmail account that way, or am I totally out of luck unless I fix my smashed phone enuf to get to the screen on to accept screen prompt to verify my identity....? Any insight here is greatly appreciated. I have 1000's of $$ invested in that Gmail and have been unable to access it for a week now. Google has been zero help. Sorry if. This is posted in the wrong space, I haven't been here in a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A few years back you used to be able to get a new phone install TWRP create a backup on new phone and then copy the files from the old phones backup into the new backup folder (with the new unique file number). But think I read this doesn't work anymore on new version (but not sure you'll have to check yourself or hopefully someone here knows)
Even if that works what type of 2FA is it? Authenticator or SMS?
https://support.google.com/accounts/troubleshooter/4430955?hl=en
without a backup code it may not work anyhow
if you can see your screen but touch is not working just plug a mouse into the usb & click away! If screen is blacked out but rest of hardware good easiest to buy a replacement screen as cheap or use usb-hdmi hub to mirror screen (not sure if Essential phone requires any input to set up as haven't tried with this phone)
If other hardware damage it will depend, but as rooted you are in with a chance. Is usb debugging on?
Thanks for your response, Google has been zero help and I've definitely considered ordering a screen to see if I can get the old device to work, but the og screen is detached from the chip board, as far as I can tell it will power on with some serious prompting, but idk if it's actually trying to boot up or in some kind of safe mode detecting the screen is missing, or just wrecked completely...? Lol the notification Light stays red until the battery dies. I've considered maybe trying to clone the esn of my old essential phone to another phone to try to trick their servers that way but idk if they recognize the device via that (The ESN) or tokens generated locally on the device, and the more I think about it, the more I think the latter sounds more logical considering the nature of the beast I'm fighting here... Seems It would b wildly irresponsible of them to rely solely on esn to identify a "Trusted" device. Idk what to do, lol except cry... I'm basically at a loss at this point, so I will order a screen and go from there I guess, if the screen option doesn't work. You'd think with the money they have, they'd have some type of account recovery team, or a way to recover in the event something like this happens, or someone to speak to at the very least, the can verify my account in seconds over the phone, but do literally nothing for me, nor let me speak with or point me towards anyone who can.... And this is a pretty common issue it seems after lookin at their "Community help section" it's literally top to bottom ppl complaining about what I'm looking to "get help" with. There is zero reason they should be forcing 2fv on my account it's shut off in my account settings, I can get far enuf to c them, just doesn't let me change anything with out "Signing in" and verifying. Nor does it give me the option to use my only ACTUAL set up recovery option on the account, a code via text. It's almost like theyre protecting all my own s***, from me. The owner. Makes zero sense to me.
It sounds like when you setup the essential, you configured your Google account to use the *device* (via the Google app) for verification. I've done this also, but I have an old device also configured to authenticate. So the pop-up screen appears on both.
If you use a computer to log into your Google account (not gmail) on the screen that is waiting for verification, there should be a link to try a different method. Hopefully you setup a secondary email address in addition to the gmail account one.
Edit: start here https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/7682439?hl=en
OT: I realize you are frustrated, but it would be easier to pick out the relevant information in your posts if they were not one long paragraph.
Hi Guys,
Today was my karma day. IDK what I did wrong, but my phone just stopped working and that just added a big problem to me.
So about the problem.
Short story - need to recover at least photos from the phone.
Long story - Today the phone just shut itself down and after trying to turn back it on it seems like it's in a boot loop or something similar to that. Video (BELOW) (sry for a long video, just wanted to capture it all). I can't start it normally nor my pc detects the phone... I tried a couple of recovery programs but A) They don't do **** B) They don't support S7 edge. So I tried to see if I could access the phone from called "odin screen" where you go when you root or mod your phone, but no luck there. So the only option I see is left to me, even that I don't want to, I need to somehow root the phone or do some "magic" that you guys know more about to access the phone memory and extract photos, if possible other data, to my pc. That is the main objective. The secondary is of course to fix the god damn phone, but even root kitty like me should handle that. P.S. Forgot to tell, but it's visible in the video - the LED is turned on with blue light all the time while it does that, even when I go to recovery screen or "odin screen".
Objectives:
MAIN:
A) Recover data.
Secondary:
B) Fix phone.
P.S. It's late for me, so I won't be able to try much today, so hopefully tomorrow after trying your suggestions something will work :good:
P.S.S. While making the video, I encountered a new bug, PHOTO (BELOW).
P.S.S.S. This phone was never rooted or moded, bought from a UK shop and used for 4 ish years.
P.S.S.S.S. As I'm new and can't post links... They are below:
Video - youtu.be/G5ru0VU3Epw
photo - imgur.com/KPTsNFW