Original topic:

Locked phone with a pin

(Topic created: 11-25-2025 08:39 AM)
2238 Views
MsVirgo87
Black Hole
Options
A Series & Other Mobile
I noticed that now when u find a phone it's no point even keeping it anymore especially if they have a pin and even when u factory reset the phone u still need a pin or an email associated with that phone to unlock it, Does anyone know a way around this? Or should I just throw the phone away?
realaud
Honored Contributor
Options
A Series & Other Mobile
That's the whole point. To make it useless to anyone finding or stealing it.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Please mark any response that helped you as your solution.
-------------------------------------------------------------
MsVirgo87
Black Hole
Options
A Series & Other Mobile
That's smart, My sister bf found it and tried to return it but the owner never came for the phone and they had it for 2 months, And someone in this forum acting like I stole the phone when it was given to me but we didn't know about the pin situation, I'm not hard up for no phone, I already have my own phone so why would I need another phone for
0 Likes
realaud
Honored Contributor
Options
A Series & Other Mobile
I guess the owner didn't put their contact info on the lock screen. For future reference, if you slide up on the lock screen where you enter the pin, if you tap emergency call, it should bring up the emergency contacts. If they designated emergency contacts, you can call one of them. That's how I recovered my sister's lost phone, while she was out buying a replacement. She did not know about the find my phone feature, and possibly neither did the original owner of your found phone. The original owner may just have considered it lost and bought another.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Please mark any response that helped you as your solution.
-------------------------------------------------------------
0 Likes
MsVirgo87
Black Hole
Options
A Series & Other Mobile
The crazy thing is when my sister bf found the phone there was no sim card in it to contact the owner or anything u just mentioned which is why they put up flyers and put it on Facebook so I can't contact the owner of the phone
0 Likes
realaud
Honored Contributor
Options
A Series & Other Mobile
You dont actually need a SIM card to access the emergency contacts, a tapping one to call counts as an emegency call that does not need a SIM.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Please mark any response that helped you as your solution.
-------------------------------------------------------------
0 Likes
MsVirgo87
Black Hole
Options
A Series & Other Mobile
Okay I will try that, Idk why they didn't try it
0 Likes
realaud
Honored Contributor
Options
A Series & Other Mobile
Because, they either didn't know they could do it without a SIM, or didn't know how to access the emergency information.

The owner could have also been using an older device as an internet only device or e reader as secondary to their primary device and that's why they weren't looking for it.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Please mark any response that helped you as your solution.
-------------------------------------------------------------
0 Likes
realaud
Honored Contributor
Options
A Series & Other Mobile
I had a thought that because there was no SIM, it may already have been stolen and tossed by the theif when they discovered it was useless.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Please mark any response that helped you as your solution.
-------------------------------------------------------------
0 Likes
MsVirgo87
Black Hole
Options
A Series & Other Mobile
Yes that's what I thought also that someone stole it.
0 Likes
realaud
Honored Contributor
Options
A Series & Other Mobile
The bottom line is found Samsung phones are useless to the finder, thief.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Please mark any response that helped you as your solution.
-------------------------------------------------------------
0 Likes