Tips and Tricks for Setting Up your Google Pixel 7a Phone Pattern Lock

Failing to remember the pattern lock of a phone is one of the most puzzling situations for Android users. Unlike the famous OS, Android gives a seamless method to eliminate the issue.

You can attempt the methods below or an expert tool if you have forgotten the pattern lock on your gadget and reset it. However, we suggest you try Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock for a quick and safe solution. To make things more straightforward, we have given you other techniques as a workaround to the issue.

So, keep following us to unlock the lock screen pattern and use your phone again.

Part 1: What Is Android Pattern?

A pattern lock is used to identify the actual user by your Android phone. It is a widely used phone locking system and a secured one. Simply put, a pattern lock includes a line pattern you choose that you can draw to unlock a lock screen. You can enable this lock screen feature from the security menu in the settings application.

So, if you have set a pattern lock as a screen lock for your device, you will need to draw the exact pattern every time you log in.

Part 2: Best Tool to Unlock Your Pattern

Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock

The most effective and quick tool to unlock a pattern lock is Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock by Wondershare. Dr.Fone is an all-in-one tool for all your Android needs and has been in the business for a long time. We suggest you use Dr.Fone. The following steps will help you unlock your device:

Step 1. Select the “Screen Unlock” option in the Dr.Fone interface.

Step 2. Select Unlock Android Screen

To unlock the pattern lock on your device, the “Unlock Android Screen” will guide you to finish the whole process.

Step 3. Select unlock mode

If you click “Remove without Data Loss,” only some limited Samsung or LG phone models can be unlocked without losing data. To unlock most phone brands’ screens, “100% Remove Screen Lock” is a better choice.

You can find the brand compatible with your phone in the following list.

Step 4. Go into Recovery Mode

Read the program instructions carefully; entering recovery mode is the prerequisite to unlocking the pattern lock.

(Here are 3 examples of Samsung phones)

How to get into recovery mode with Bixby

How to get into recovery mode without Bixby

How to get into recovery mode with Home button

Step 5. Instructions to Wipe Cache Partition

Now you’re in recovery mode, pick these options in the image below.

When the “Unlocked successfully” appears on the screen, you can access your device without a pattern lock or other locks!

Part 3: How to Bypass Android Pattern When You Forgot It?

1. Google Find My Device (For Android7.1.1 or later)

Step 1. Open the Android Device Manager site by typing https://www.google.com/android/find in an internet browser.

Step 2. You must give your Google ID credentials to sign in. Remember that this should be a similar Google account connected to your phone.

Step 3. After logging in, select your device.

Step 4. You will get three choices here, i.e., lock, erase, and ring.

Step 5. Click on the “Lock” button to reset its pattern.

Step 6. It will open another spring-up window. From here, you can give the new password to your phone.

Step 7. After affirming your PIN/password, you can give a recovery message and number (in case of theft only).

Step 8. Complete the process and sign out of your account on the browser.

2. Forgot Pattern (For Android 4.4 or earlier)

Step 1. First and foremost, give some wrong patterns to your phone. It will tell you that you attempted the incorrect pattern lock.

Step 2. On a similar window, click the “Forgot pattern” choice on the base.

Step 3. That will open another screen, which you can use to sidestep the forgotten pattern of Android. Select the choice for entering the Google Account credentials and continue.

Step 4. To reset the lock screen pattern, you must give the correct details of the Google ID previously logged into the Google Pixel 7a device.

Step 5. After giving the correct details, you can provide another pattern lock to the phone.

Step 6. Affirm your decision and set another pattern lock on your phone.

3. Emergency Call Trick (For Android 5 or 5.1.1)

Step 1: Tap the Emergency Call button and enter ten asterisks (*).

Step 2: Copy and paste the asterisks on the dialer until you no longer see the paste choice.

Step 3: Return to the lock screen and tap on the camera symbol.

Step 4: Press the settings choice on your Android gadget after pulling down the notification tray. Now you will have the chance to enter the PIN/password, and you ought to continue unlocking your Android phone. Continue to paste until the lock screen UI crashes.

4. Safe Mode Boot (For Android 4.1 or later)

Step 1: You can bring up the power menu and hold the “Power Off” button for most phones, especially Android phones. A warning will spring up, asking whether you might want to Reboot to Safe Mode. Here, it would help if you had to press Ok.

Step 2: Clear your lock screen application’s data.

Clean data off your lock screen app, uninstall it, and then reboot your device to escape safe mode. When you do so, your phone or Android device will unlock.

5. Use ADB (USB required for Android 10 and lower)

• Connect your device to your PC using a USB connector.
• On your PC, open a terminal window (or command prompt).
• Type in the commands given below. Press Enter after each line:

adb shell

album/data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases

sqlite3 settings.db

update system set value=0 where name=’lock_pattern_autolock’;

update system set value=0 where name=’lockscreen.lockedoutpermanently’;

.quit

exit

adb reboot

• After your gadget has rebooted, enter the command below:

adb shell

rm/data/framework/gesture.key

exit

adb reboot

• Your phone will reboot. After it reboots and requests a security pattern, you can utilize any pattern, and it will unlock.

Conclusion

This guide provides insight into the most common Android issue. Here, we have discussed different techniques to bypass the pattern lock on your Android phone. However, we suggest you go for a professional tool while carrying this out. Therefore, you should choose an expert tool like Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock to open the lock screen pattern.

Pattern Locks Are Unsafe: Secure Your Google Pixel 7a 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 Google Pixel 7a 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 Google Pixel 7a 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.

Click here

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.

Mastering Android Device Manager: The Ultimate Guide to Unlocking Your Google Pixel 7a Device

So, what is Android Device Manager?  Android has this amazing native tool to help you locate and remote wipe your lost or stolen phone. We lock our phones via passwords or patterns or fingerprints to maintain the security but what if someone dares to meddle with your phone or unfortunately, it gets stolen? Don’t worry, all you need to do is let Android Device Manager unlock your Android phone. For this, it just needs to be enabled on your phone (before you unluckily locked yourself out of it). Android Device Manager unlocks your phone in a small amount of time, saving you from all the troubles.

In addition to this, the Android Device Manager also unlocks your password/pin-encrypted phone if you have forgotten the passcode by chance. The procedure is quite simple; all you need is a Google account to set this up onyour phone and then you can make use of any other online device to track down your lost or stolen phone or to even wipe all data in it. Phew!

Click here

Using the Android Device Manager to track a lost phone

Part 1: What is Android Device Manager lock?

Android Device Manager is Google’s take on Apple’s Find My iPhone. Enabling the ADM is quite easy; just go to google.com/android/devicemanager  on your computer and search through your list of devices that are already connected to your Google account. Once you are there, you can easily send a notification to the phone you want to enable remote password application and wiping upon.

ADM comes with a set of features that helps you to unlock your Android phone as well. It not only helps you to find your device, but also Ring it, lock it, and wipe and erase all the data as well, if your phone is lost or stolen. Once you’re logged into the ADM website from your computer, you can avail all these options once your phone is located. It is a wise option to get your device locked by Android Device Manager in case it is lost or stolen, so that your phone is secured.

Android Device Manager can unlock your phone under a specific set of circumstances only.

• • First of all, Android Device Manager needs to be enabled on your phone before it is lost, stolen, etc.
• • Secondly, your phone can only be tracked by ADM if the GPS option is switched on.
• • Thirdly, the Google Pixel 7a device you are using for ADM, must be connected to Wi-Fi or internet, to login to your Google account.
• • Lastly, Android Device Manager is not compatible for all Android versions. For now, it is only compatible with devices running Android 4.4 and above, so your phone must be in this category for ADM to work.

Click here

Part 2: How to unlock Android phone with Android Device Manager?

Just act according to the following steps, and the Android Device Manager will unlock your phone.

1. On your computer or any other mobile phone, visit: google.com/android/devicemanager

2. Then, sign in with the help of your Google login details that you had used in your locked phone as well.

3. In the ADM interface, choose the Google Pixel 7a device you want to unlock. Now, select “Lock”.

4. Enter a temporary password. Now go ahead and click on “Lock” again.

5. If the previous step was successful, you should be seeing a confirmation below the box with the buttons – Ring, Lock and Erase.

6. Now, you should see a password field on your phone screen. Enter a temporary password to unlock your phone.

7. Visit your phone’s lock screen settings and disable the temporary password.

The Android Device Manager has successfully unlocked your phone!

A downside to this process, is an error message faced by some users while using ADM. Many users have reported the issue, that when they have tried using ADM to unlock their locked device, an error message has occurred, saying, “since Google has verified that a screen lock is already set”. Basically, this error message conveys that you will not be able to unlock your phone using Android Device Manager, and this is a flaw on Google’s part, not your phone’s.

Part 3: What to do if phone is locked by Android Device Manager

There are 2 situations where you would want to know how to unlock the Android Device Manager lock – one, when you have unfortunately forgotten the screen lock passcode and the other is when your phone is locked by Android Device Manager.

ADM is built to completely lock your device so that unknown people cannot access it. So, if your phone is locked by Android Device Manager, you might be in a problem.While ADM is a wonderful tool to lock your phone or erase and wipe data if its stolen or lost, most of the users have reported the issue that they cannot unlock their phones that are locked by Android Device Manager. A possible solution to this is adding a temporary password via Google login and bypassing the ADM lock. Or, you can try resetting the password again by entering a new password via ADM. If that does not work, you can make use of several third-party applications which can be found in the internet, that will help to completely erase the Android Device Manager lock.

So, now you know how to unlock the Android Device Manager lock. Do keep in mind, your device must be connected to internet or Wi-Fi, to login to your Google account.

Part 4: Unlock Android devices with Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android)

As mentioned before, many were unable to unlock their phones with ADM. This is why we use the Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (Android) . It is hassle-free and easy-to-use; the Dr.Fone toolkit needs to be downloaded on your computer and with a few easy steps, it erases any kind of lock-screen passcode and avoids any kind of data loss as well!

Dr.Fone - Android Lock Screen Removal

Remove 4 Types of Android Screen Lock without Data Loss

• It can remove 4 screen lock types - pattern, PIN, password & fingerprints.
• Only remove the lock screen, no data loss at all.
• No tech knowledge asked, everybody can handle it.
• Work for Samsung Galaxy S/Note/Tab series, and LG G2, G3, G4, etc.

3,224,627 people have downloaded it

This tool works on removing all four types of lock-screen passcodes – PINs, Patterns, Fingerprints, and Passwords. Anyone can use this tool following these easy steps:

You can also use this tool to bypass the locked screen beyond Samsung and LG.Things you should pay attention is that it will remove all the data after finishing unloking on other brand android phone.

1. Fire up the Dr.Fone toolkit for Android on your computer and select the Screen Unlock among all the other tools.

2. Now, connect your Android device to the computer and select phone model in the list on the program.

3. Boot your phone into Download mode:

• • Power off your Android phone.
• • Press and hold the volume down+the home button + the power button at the same time.
• • Press the volume up button to enter Download Mode.

4. After you get your phone into the Download mode, it will start downloading a recovery package. Wait for this to be completed.

5. When the recovery package download is completed, Dr.Fone toolkit will begin removing the screen lock. This process will not cause any data loss on your Android device, so do not worry. Once the whole procedure is over, you can easily access your Android phone without entering any kind of password. Hurrah!

Click here

The Dr.Fone software is currently compatible with Samsung Galaxy S/Note/Tab series, and LG G2/G3/G4 series. For windows, it is compatible with 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista.

The Android Device Manager is an excellent initiative taken by Google to give people the chance to not lose any data and regain access to their phones. This also teaches us to take precautions before such unfortunate incidents take place. Phones are probably one of the most important belongings of ours, in which we confide all our private and confidential documents that we wouldn’t want to be meddled with.

So, make use of this guide and get back command over your Android phone.

Also read: