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Locked Device on SIM Card Replacement

  • 22 May 2012
  • 5 replies
  • 258 views
Locked Device on SIM Card Replacement
Userlevel 7
  • Retired Webrooter
  • 1581 replies

Question

I have put a new sim card in my phone, and now my phone is locked.  The big problem is my phone is not online, so the command I send is not responding.  Please, what else can I do?

Answer

This is the Webroot lock screen:



If this isn't the screen you're referring to, you are not looking at the Webroot lock screen, and you should contact support for the lock screen you are seeing.  If this is the screen you are seeing, please read on.
 
The password is normally checked online.  However the password is also stored locally on the device specifically for cases like this.  Anytime you successfully log in by verification online, the app updates its local cache for In Case Of Emergencies logins.
 
This has the side effect of meaning that the phone will always remember the OLD password if you change it online until it is able to verify the new one online.  But if the network is not present, it will only validate the old password locally.
 
If you have changed the password on the account recently and have not used that password to log into the phone at all, then you will need to unlock it using the old password from before you changed.
 
It's also possible you are running into a character entry issue.  There are some infrequent occasions caused by the soft keyboard where even in the password field, it thinks you are typing "Normal Stuff" and puts the Shift active automatically for the first letter.  Since the password is case sensitive, that capital letter for the first letter can end up making it wrong.  So be sure to check for that possibility.  Also type the password in slowly and with great care.  I know that when I'm trying to hit "1" on my Android, I often accidentally hit "2" instead.
 
If you absolutely can't remember the stored password, the only option is to try to get a working connection to the internet, one way or another, in order for the password to be changed online and the phone to be able to check in for the password verification.  This can be by a cell data signal or a wireless network.
 
Also, one interesting thing to note is that we occasionally have had people mistake the actual hardware SIM lock for our lock.  Our lock screen is red with an Unlock button and Emergency Call button, whereas SIM lock screens are frequently white, though they can be any color.  A SIM lock of that type is initiated by the Phone and the SIM itself and usually requires the assistance of the phone company that issued the SIM, since it's not part of us.
 
We have zero access to the passwords and there are no "Back doors" or hidden ways to get around the lock.  If you cannot unlock it by accurately entering the locally-stored password and cannot acquire any kind of automatic internet connection via the SIM or a WiFi network that it will auto-join for it to discover the network password... well, then sadly the app is going to do its job very well to keep you out, since there is no way to prove you own the device without the password.  At that point, unless USB debugging is on (which it normally should not be) and you know how to use ADB to remove data, it would require the assistance of the carrier or phone manufacturer to perform a factory reset, which wipes all of the user data from the phone.

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5 replies

My keyboard doesn't come up so there is no way to type the password on my Nexus 5
Userlevel 7
Badge +62
Hello ?
 
Please go to this post here and see if this helps out your situation?
 
 
Userlevel 7
Badge +25
Hi Jrp240sx -
 
 
https://support.google.com/nexus/search?q=how+do+I+unlock+my+nexus+5+phone       (<-----this is where I found it)
 
 
Can't unlock my Android device    
If you can't unlock your Android device, you can try to reset your passcode using your Google Account. If you still can't reset your screen lock, you can consider ...
Nexus Help › Device support › Troubleshoot issues › Account, sign-in, & screen lock issues 
Try to see if that helps your situation.
 
 
 
 
 
why does a keyboard not come up to enter your password?  this has been talked about for over a year why does webroot not fix.  i am in a bad area and have no phone wft?????????????????????????????
Userlevel 7
@, this is an issue that rarely happens on some devices and our Team is actively looking for a solution. They've had reported cases that booting your device into Safe Mode can be successful in resolving this.
 
You can reach our Support Team directly by phone Monday through Friday:
Support Number: 1-866-612-4227 M-F 7am?6pm MT