Can't access Android phone even though Account details for Google are correct

Aubrey_Thicket

Hi all

I am writing this solely to help others. I already have the answer to this problem now. This is just to assist others who may encounter problems similar to this...

My colleague locked himself out of his Motorola G4 phone by getting his swipe pattern wrong too many times. So, after loads of research the only available answer was to reset the phone. So, went to youtube and followed instructions to reset the phone. Then we were required to set the phone up as a new device. However, the phone simply refused to allow us to set up the phone as a new installation because it needed the account details already used on the phone. I can't remember the exact error message but it was something like...

Please log in with the details of a Google account that was previously used on this phone.

Now, we were 100% certain that the details we were trying to use to log in were 100% correct. Therefore, to verify this we went to gmail (ON A PC, NOT A PHONE) and logged in using those details (for example... justanexample@gmail.com). Then we put in the password for that Email address and voila...we were in! So now we were certain that the details we entered into the phone were now DEFINITELY correct. So, we went back to the phone and tried again to log in yet it still wouldn't allow us to log in to the phone because the Google credentials couldn't be verified. So, we spent the next hour phoning Google contacts until we eventually spoke to a lady in America. We told her the Android phone wouldn't allow access to the phone because the google account associated with this phone couldn't be verified yet we knew the details we were using were correct.

Her answer (and the solution to the problem) took 10 seconds.....

Want to know what it is?

Well, it was hardly technical....

"Leave the phone turned off for 25 hours. Then when you log back in it will work".

It worked! Problem solved.

So, all you guys who threw that Android phone in the back of the bedroom drawer because you couldn't log in to it....

Log into Gmail ON A PC to check the username and password are correct. Then try the same on your Android phone (after the reset) and you should find it has worked.

I hope this helps somebody.

unforeseen

How many times do you need to get it wrong? I've never managed it and that includes letting a 2 year old play with it when locked.

RumRat

unforeseen wrote: »

How many times do you need to get it wrong? I've never managed it and that includes letting a 2 year old play with it when locked.

It's 15 on a Samsung phone and pattern swipe is no longer an option.

DoaM

On my Huawei P9 Lite the swipe option is still available ... but not if you want to use fingerprint recognition to unlock. (The backup unlock option must be a PIN rather than a pattern).

Aubrey_Thicket

Amazingly he told me that he remembers "trying about 15 times"

Hoseman

Strange that it locks you out completely after attempting that many times. Perhaps it's something you can change in the settings.

Thanks for the info.

RumRat

Hoseman wrote: »

Strange that it locks you out completely after attempting that many times. Perhaps it's something you can change in the settings.

Thanks for the info.

It can be turned or off in the settings....However, IMO, if you need 15 attempts to get into a phone, that you set up, then you don't deserve any less....:D