Pattern Locks Are Unsafe: Secure Your Samsung Galaxy S24+ Phone Now with These Tips

Pattern locks have been available for about as long as people can remember, and they have been hugely popular with people thanks to how easy it is to simply swipe your screen and unlock your smartphone, as against, say, keying in the 4-digit PIN/ 6-digit PIN. However, pattern locks are easy to crack, and today, we bring you all you want to know about pattern locks and how to create a hard pattern lock. Further to this, we also tell you how to move beyond pattern locks and what to do in case you forgot the hard pattern lock you just set and are unable to unlock your smartphone.

Part 1: What You Need to Know About Pattern Locks

Pattern lock is an Android-only feature that makes it easy for users to have a modicum of security on their smartphones. Most users do not prefer using and remembering a PIN to unlock the smartphone. Creating a pattern makes it easier, somehow.

There is a 9-point grid on which you swipe your finger from point to point, in any direction, and when you take your finger off, that pattern you swiped becomes the key to unlock your smartphone.

Pattern locks were exceedingly common only a few years ago, and they are not recommended for use any longer due to concerns (mentioned later in the article).

1.1: Popularity and Usage

Old habits die hard, or so they say, right? That’s because it is true. We are creatures of habit, and pattern locks have been around for a long, long time. We are accustomed to pattern locks. So, even with even easier technologies such as fingerprint recognition and face recognition, we tend to gravitate towards the familiar old pattern lock.

The only thing is, there is a reason why pattern locks are no longer the preferred option to use for unlocking your smartphones. As it happens, that reason is security, and it can be very easy for humans to take a swipe (pardon the pun) at your pattern lock. And guess what? The research conducted suggests that they would get it right with an unsettling accuracy.

1.2: Advantages and Drawbacks

With on-the-go lifestyles, our smartphones have become indispensable and contain some of the most sensitive aspects of our lives – IDs, credit and debit cards in digital wallets, photo and video memories, business documents – you name it, the smartphones have it, on the go. This has opened our lives up to the public at large, and if someone steals our smartphone or, best case, finds it, the only barrier preventing them from being privy to all that wealth of our sensitive information is that screen lock – the pattern lock that we set on our smartphones. That’s it – the single pattern lock stands between malicious actors and our data. You might be beginning to realize just how crazy this is.

Advantages of Pattern Locks

There are two advantages to using pattern locks. One, they are better than nothing. Two, they are easy to use. And that’s about it. There is no third advantage to pattern locks. We might think we set a hard pattern lock that nobody could guess, but, as research proves, we might be thinking too low of human prowess.

Disadvantages of Pattern Locks

Security, or rather, the lack of it, is the lone disadvantage of using a pattern lock. What good is a pattern lock that can be easily deciphered? Sure, they are easy to use, and they are better than not having anything, but would you really want to protect your life’s data with something that could be, as researchers found out, breached in under 5 attempts? We don’t think you do!

The research found that 64% of test subjects who were shown videos of people unlocking their phones could correctly guess a 6-point pattern lock, that too after viewing the video only once! That number shot up to 80% if they were allowed to see the video again. That is simply astounding and a nightmare for security. When it comes to PINs, only 11% could guess a 6-digit PIN after viewing the unlocking video once, and that number shot up to 27% when they could see the video two times.

Part 2: How To Create a Hard Pattern Lock (Including Remembering Complex Patterns)

Now, if you must continue using a pattern lock, let’s help you know how to create a hard pattern lock that would not be as easy to decipher as easy pattern locks. For that, you should know how people use pattern locks, the kind of pattern locks they create, and the ones that are the most commonly used pattern locks. That way, you can avoid those fallacies and create a hard pattern lock for your smartphone.

2.1: The Pattern Locks People Use Most Commonly

Marte Loge, an M.Sc. Computer Science student, gave a presentation on pattern locks at DEFCON 23 and made a bold claim. She said, “Tell me who you are, and I will tell you your lock pattern.”

She presented the following statistics to support her claim:

• - In her research, she found that 77% of people started with one of the 4 corners when creating a pattern lock.
• - 44% of people started with the top-left dot and 15% with the top-right, while the bottom-left was preferred by 14% of her test subjects.
• - People set 5-point pattern locks on average, and most users were content with a 4-point pattern.

These are some of the most common pattern locks people create:

• - patterns in the shapes of alphabets,
• - patterns in the shapes of numerals,
• - patterns in any other simple shape, such as square, triangle, star, etc.

To understand how this is a security nightmare, the possible combinations for a 4-point pattern are a measly 1624, whereas by adding just 1 more point to the pattern and creating a 5-point pattern, the number of possible combinations becomes 7152, an increase of 5528 combinations. In stark contrast, creating a 9-point pattern would give you over 140,000 possible combinations!

2.2: How to Create a Hard Pattern Lock

Knowing what most people do when creating a pattern lock, it becomes easy to avoid those mistakes and instead create a hard pattern lock for oneself.

• - Do not start creating a pattern lock from any of the 4 corners of the grid.
• - Never use your first initial as your pattern lock.
• - Never use the shape of a numeral as your pattern lock.
• - Use all 9 points on the grid to create your pattern lock, and contrary to popular belief, you can go over the connecting lines several times, creating a hard pattern lock that would not be as easy for people to decipher!

Part 3: Going Beyond Pattern Locks

You might think that now that you have set a hard pattern lock, you are good to go. Hardly. Technology has evolved, so have methods to break into your device.

Step 1: Set a 6-digit PIN

The minimum you should do today is set a 6-digit PIN to unlock your phone. Consider this a necessary investment into the safety of your data residing on your smartphone.

Step 2: Use Fingerprint Recognition (or Face Recognition on Apple Devices)

All modern smartphones released over the last decade have come with fingerprint recognition. Using fingerprint recognition requires you to set a 6-digit PIN and then set a fingerprint to unlock your device. You can set additional fingerprints, too.

This way, your device is the most secure it can be today. In case your fingerprint is not recognized for any reason, the phone falls back on the 6-digit PIN that you can enter and unlock your phone.

While face recognition is available on both Android and Apple devices, it is truly secure only on Apple devices. This is why Apple iPhones released after the iPhone X in 2017 have come only with Face ID. They fall back on a minimum 6-digit PIN (called Passcode in Apple world) to unlock in case the face does not get recognized in the first attempt.

Part 4: How To Unlock Phone If Hard Pattern Lock Forgotten

Just in case you set a hard pattern lock and promptly forgot that abstruse pattern you just set, we have a tool for you to quickly unlock your phone in case of a forgotten hard pattern lock: Wondershare Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock.

Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android)

Remove the Hard Pattern Lock on Your Samsung Galaxy S24+ If You Forgot!

• Remove all Android screen locks (PIN/pattern/fingerprints/face ID) in minutes.
• Bypass the FRP lock of Samsung without a PIN or Google account.
• Everyone can handle the lock screen without any tech knowledge.
• Provide specific removal solutions to promise good success rate.

4,008,671 people have downloaded it

Download the latest version of Dr.Fone from the Wondershare website and launch the app.

Step 1: Click Android under Toolbox > Screen Unlock.

Step 2: Click Unlock Android Screen.

Step 3: Select your device manufacturer.

Step 4: Prepare your device to unlock the screen.

When the greyed Next button becomes available, click it and wait for your device to be unlocked.

All data on the Samsung Galaxy S24+ device is wiped under this method. Select Samsung phones may be unlocked without data loss. Check this list for devices that may be unlocked without data loss.

Closing Words

Whether it is an easy pattern lock or a hard pattern lock, the fact is that pattern locks are antiquated and a security nightmare. A minimum 6-digit PIN must be used, and using fingerprint recognition is the preferred way to go for Android devices. Using fingerprint recognition will require that users create a 6-digit PIN. On Apple devices launched after 2017, there is Face ID, Apple’s marketing term for face recognition. If you did indeed still set a hard pattern lock, only to promptly forget it, use Wondershare Dr.Fone – Screen Unlock (Android) to seamlessly unlock your phone right now.

How to Unlock Samsung Galaxy S24+ Phone Pattern Lock without Factory Reset

Have you been locked out of your Android device and can’t seem to recall its pattern? Do you wish to learn how to unlock an Android phone pattern lock without a factory reset to access someone else’s device? If your answer is “yes”, then you have come to the right place. Lots of readers these days ask us about a foolproof way to learn how to unlock an Android phone pattern lock without a factory reset. To help you, we have decided to come up with an in-depth guide on the same. Read on and learn in 4 different ways.

Part 1: Unlock the Android Phone Pattern with Lock Screen Removal Tool

If you are locked out of the phone because forgot pattern lock, and fail to enter the phone after many times try with the word “phone has been locked”. No need to worry, there are many solutions to fix the issue. And Dr.Fone –Screen Unlock (Android) can be your first saver in the dilemma. It is a highly efficient pattern lock removal tool for over 2000+ mainstream android phones, like Samsung, Oneplus, Huawei, Xiaomi, Pixel, etc.

Except for pattern locks unlocking, it works for the PIN, fingerprints, Face ID, and Google FRP bypassing as well. It’s helpful even if you don’t know the OS version of your devices. So, now follow the below steps to unlock the pattern and regain access to your locked phone in minutes.

Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android)

Get into Locked Phones within Minutes

• Pattern, PIN, password, fingerprints & face screen lock can all be unlocked.
• Easily remove the lock screen; No need to root your device.
• Everybody can handle it without any technical background.
• Provide specific removal solutions to promise good success rate

4,008,669 people have downloaded it

Step 1. Download Dr.Fone –Screen Unlock on your PC or Mac.

Step 2. Connect your Android phone to the computer using a USB cable. Next, click the “Unlock Android Screen“ from the interface.

Step 3. Choose the model version according to your android phone. For people who don’t know the operating system version, tick the circle “I can’t find my device model from the list above”.

Step 4. Enter and download the recovery package as the instructions show on the PC or Mac.

Step 5. It will be finished when the recovery package downloading is completed. Then, click “Remove Now“.

Once the whole progress is over, you can access your Android device without entering any password and view all your data on the Samsung Galaxy S24+ device with no limits.

safe & secure

Part 2: How to unlock the Android phone pattern lock without resetting using a Google account?

If you have an older Android device, then you can simply move past its lock by taking the assistance of your Google account. All you need is access to the same Google account that is linked to your device. Though, this technique will only work on devices running on Android 4.4 and earlier versions. To learn how to remove pattern lock on Android without a factory reset, follow these steps:

Step 1. Simply provide any pattern on the Samsung Galaxy S24+ device. Since the pattern would be wrong, you will get the following prompt.

Step 2. Tap on the “Forgot Pattern” option located at the bottom of the screen.

Step 3. This will provide different ways to access your phone. Select the Google Account details and tap on the “Next” option.

Step 4. Sign in using the credentials of the Google account that is linked to your device.

Step 5. Great! Now you can simply provide (and confirm) the new pattern for your device.

After following these instructions, you would be able to learn how to unlock an Android phone pattern lock without factory reset or causing any harm to your device.

Part 3: How to unlock Android phone password without factory reset - Android Device Manager

The Android Device Manager, which is now known as “Find My Device” is one of the best ways to locate your Android device remotely. Besides that, you can also use the interface to ring your device or change its lock from anywhere. All you need to do is access its interface from any other device and log-in with your Google credentials. You can follow these steps to learn how to unlock the Android pattern lock without factory reset.

Step 1. Log in to Android Device Manager (Find My Device) using your Google credentials.

Android Device Manager website: https://www.google.com/android/find .

Step 2. From the interface, you can select the Android device that is linked to your Google account.

Step 3. You will get options to ring it, lock it, or erase it. Select the “Lock” option to proceed.

Step 4. This will launch a new pop-up window. From here, you can provide a new lock screen password, confirm it, and also set an optional recovery message or phone number (in case your device has been lost).

Step 5. Confirm your choice and save it to remotely change the lock screen password on your device.

In the end, you would be able to learn how to unlock an Android phone pattern lock without a factory reset after following these above-mentioned steps.

Part 4: How to unlock Android phone pattern lock without factory reset using ADB?

By using Android Debug Bridge (ADB), you can also learn how to unlock the Android pattern lock without a factory reset. Though, this is a more time-consuming and complicated process than other alternatives like Dr.Fone. Nevertheless, you can learn how to remove pattern lock on Android without factory reset using ADB with these instructions:

Step 1. To start with, you need to download ADB on your system. This can be done by visiting the Android Developer’s website https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/adb.html .

Step 2. Afterward, launch the installer and download all the essential packages on your system.

Step 3. Now, connect your phone to the system. Make sure that its USB debugging feature is on.

Step 4. To do this, go to Settings > About Phone and tap the “Build Number” option seven consecutive times. This will enable the Developer Options on your device.

Step 5. Go to Settings > Developer Options and turn on the feature of USB debugging.

Step 6. After connecting your device to the system, launch the command prompt in the installation directory on your respective ADB.

Step 7. Type the command “ADB shell rm /data/system/gesture.key” and press enter.

Step 8. Simply restart your device and access it the usual way, without any lock screen pattern or pin.

Conclusion

Now when you know how to unlock the Android phone pattern lock without a factory reset, you can easily access your device in a trouble-free way. Out of all the provided options, Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android) is the best alternative. It provides a fast, secure, and reliable way to unlock your device without causing any harm or removing its content. Go ahead and give it a try and share these solutions with your friends and family as well.

Delete Gmail Account With/Without Password On Samsung Galaxy S24+

Email accounts have proven their worth in digital devices beyond sending emails. Lately, Android devices have only operated with a Gmail account. This is because most of the data, such as contact information, messages, and other details, are saved across the storage space offered with the email. Against all recognizable uses of Gmail accounts, users look for ways how to delete Gmail accounts.

To this day, it is known that Gmail accounts can be removed with or without a password. However, one should know that if they consider deleting their Gmail account, they won’t be able to send or receive emails. With that, let’s proceed to reveal all essential methods that can be used to delete a Gmail account permanently. This article will also focus on a perfect tool that assists in making the process easier.

Part 1. Synopsis: Things To Know Before Deleting Gmail Account

Although the process of deleting a Gmail account sounds basic, there are many pointers connected to it. For that, this part is putting up a discussion on the important things that a user should know before they delete their Gmail account permanently:

• No Going Back: If you delete a Gmail account, the process is irreversible. All details and information will be lost, and the email won’t be trackable ever again.
• Cannot Reset Passwords if Connected: If the Gmail account is connected to any other service, make sure that you remember their passwords. Since the account will be deleted, you cannot reset their passwords.
• Access to Other Services: Although you are deleting your Gmail account, you can still access Google Photos, Google Drive, and other services.
• Lookout For Emails: Ensure that the emails in your account are saved. You can easily download them anywhere before deleting the Gmail account.

Part 2. Delete Your Gmail Account Using Your Password: Desktop Solution

For the first method, we will discuss how to delete a Google account with your password. You will use your computer for this process and access the Google Account services. The service helps you save all your essential Gmail data before you remove it. To understand how it makes it possible, look through the steps provided below:

• Step 1. Access the website https://myaccount.google.com/ on your desktop browser and log in with your credentials. Proceed to the “Data & privacy” section from the left panel.

• Step 2. On the following window, scroll down and look for the “Delete a Google service” option. Accessing this would allow you to delete your Gmail account permanently.

• Step 3. You will be led to a new screen where you need to provide your password credentials again. On successfully providing your password, look for the “Gmail” option on the next screen. Click the “Trash” icon to continue deleting the Gmail account.

• Step 4. A new pop-up window opens, demanding another email address that can help connect to other Google services. Provide the email address and continue to click “Send verification email .” The Gmail account won’t be deleted until the user verifies the email sent to the new address.

• Step 5. For those who want to save their email data, look for the “Download your data” option in the same window. This leads you to the Google Takeout window, where you need to select the data to include. After selecting the data, define the file type, frequency, and destination for exporting all important data.

Part 3. Delete Your Gmail Account From Your Smartphone: Android & iOS

If you use a smartphone device and want to delete your Gmail account from that particular device, you are at the right place. The following methods will help you understand how to delete Gmail from your Android and iOS devices:

Android Devices

• Step 1. Look for “Settings” on your Android and continue to the “Accounts & sync” option in the list. As you proceed into the next window, look for the Google account and select it.

• Step 2. Select the “More” option at the bottom on the following screen. Choose the “Remove account” option in the pop-up menu and provide your credentials to execute the deletion of your Gmail account.

iOS Devices

• Step 1. Open your iPhone’s “Settings” app and scroll down to the “Mail” option. You will find the “Accounts” option on the following screen, which you need to tap to proceed.

• Step 2. Discover the option of “Gmail” in the list of signed-in accounts and continue to the next screen. Select “Delete Account” to remove the account from your iOS device.

Part 4. Don’t Know Password of Device? Reset To Delete Gmail Account

What if you’ve forgotten the password to your smartphone device, and you have to delete your Gmail account permanently? In such cases, you are left with the option of accessing the Samsung Galaxy S24+ device’s Recovery Mode and factory resetting the Samsung Galaxy S24+ device, where possible. To know how it is done flawlessly, look through the steps provided next:

Android Devices

• Step 1. Those owning an Android device need to put it in Recovery Mode first. For that, use the combination of the “Power” and “Volume” keys to put the Samsung Galaxy S24+ device in Recovery Mode.

• Step 2. Once you boot into the Recovery Mode, use the Power and Volume buttons to scroll through the menu. Scroll down with the Volume buttons and select the “Wipe data/factory reset” option with the Power button.

• Step 3. Select “Factory data reset” on the next screen and confirm that factory reset your Android device successfully. The device automatically gets out of Recovery Mode and starts normally after resetting.

iOS Devices

• Step 1. You need to turn on Finder if you own a macOS Catalina or later device. Conversely, use iTunes if you have a macOS Mojave or earlier version or if you are using Windows. Connect your iPhone to the computer using the lightning cable and put it in Recovery Mode.

• For iPhone X or Later Models: Press and release the “Volume Up” button, followed by the “Volume Down” button. Hold the “Side” button until the Recovery Mode screen appears.

• For iPhone 7 Models: Hold the “Side” and “Volume Down” button until the Recovery Mode screen appears.

Click here


• For iPhone 6 and Earlier Models: Hold the “Side” and “Home” buttons simultaneously until the Recovery Mode screen appears.

• Step 2. The device automatically gets detected on Finder/iTunes, and a pop-up appears on the screen. Click “Restore” to reset your iOS device to factory settings.

Part 5. Remove Gmail Account From Device Without Password: Using Wondershare Dr.Fone

While you seek some appropriate way to close a Gmail account from a device whose password you’ve forgotten, you might get into Wondershare Dr.Fone. This all-in-one service offers a unique Screen Unlock feature that helps you restore your device. If you have forgotten the lock screen password of your Android device, Dr.Fone – Screen Unlock (Android) makes it exceptionally easy to recover.

Key Features of Wondershare Dr.Fone

Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android)

The Best UnlockJunky Alternative to Bypass FRP and Solve Your Screen Locks

• Remove all Android screen locks (PIN/pattern/fingerprints/face ID) in minutes.
• Bypass the FRP lock of Samsung without a PIN or Google account.
• Everyone can handle the lock screen without any tech knowledge.
• Provide specific removal solutions to promise good success rate.

4,008,671 people have downloaded it

Whether it is your latest Samsung or other Android smartphone, the process is easy to work with. You might look for more details about this unique tool, for which some important features are highlighted as follows:

1. It removes all major types of screen locks from your Android devices.
2. Provides support to the latest Android devices, along with all mainstream brands.
3. You can recover your device with and without data loss, according to your discretion.

Steps To Remove Google Account While Removing Screen Lock

The following steps highlight the way to remove screen lock from your Android device, which would also cover removing the Google Account automatically:

• Step 1.Launch Screen Unlock Feature

To start with the process, launch Dr.Fone on your computer and navigate to the “Toolbox” section. Proceed to the “Screen Unlock” feature, which opens a new window. After selecting “Android” as your device type, select “Unlock Android Screen” from the available options.

• Step 2.Select Device Brand and Unlock Mechanism

As you direct into the next window, select the brand of your Android device. Continue to select “100% Remove Screen Lock” from the following window.

• Step 3. Follow the Instructions and Successfully Remove the Screen Lock

According to your selected device brand, Dr.Fone provides guidelines for entering the specific mode. Follow the on-screen instructions to start unlocking the screen of your device. If the process is successful, click “Done” to conclude using Dr.Fone – Screen Unlock.

Conclusion

This article has specifically provided you with some important details on how to delete a Gmail account with ease. The article explains everything from the methods of deleting it from the computer to removing it from the Samsung Galaxy S24+ device. Furthermore, it also serves as a guidance for those who have forgotten their device passwords. For that, they’ve provided an insight into Wondershare Dr.Fone – Screen Unlock and its unique functions.