How to Reset Your Password Using Android Device Manager

Jordan Read more September 7, 2020

Everyone has forgotten their password at least once. This can be very frustrating. But the good news is there’s a way to reset it without using your phone.

How to Reset Your Password Using Android Device Manager

In this article, we’ll show you how to reset your password using the Android Device Manager. Plus, you’ll learn how to set up ADM as well as some other useful tips and tricks.

Before You Start

Bear in mind that you won’t be able to use Android Device Manager if you haven’t previously enabled some options on your phone. If your phone is locked and you can’t unlock it, it’s not possible to turn on these options. Therefore, we suggest you enable them before anything happens to your phone, just in case.

First, Android Device Manager has to be activated on your phone. Otherwise, you won’t be able to use this method to reset your password. Note that you can find a whole section about enabling ADM later on in this article.

Secondly, the GPS on your phone has to be turned on. If it’s turned off, you ADM won’t be able to access your phone, nor to track it if it gets lost or stolen. For that reason, you should always keep it on.

Step-by-Step Guide

The only thing you need for this operation is your computer or another phone that you can use to access ADM. If you have a stable Wi-Fi connection, you’re ready to start:

Go to www.google.com/android/devicemanager
Sign in to your Google account, the same you used on your Android device.
Choose a device whose password you want to reset.
Select “Lock”.
Enter the new password.
Select “Lock” again.

That’s it! You can now use the new password to unlock your phone. We suggest you use it only as a temporary password, for safety reasons. Therefore, when you unlock your phone, you can go and change the password just as you would regularly do.

How to Enable ADM on Your Phone?

This guide is for those who haven’t activated ADM yet. Although it’s available on all Android phones from 2013 and later, it doesn’t activate automatically. Here’s what you have to do:

Turn on Location Access on your phone
1. Open Settings.
2. Select Location.
3. Swipe right to turn it on.
4. Bonus tip: It’s a good idea to chose “high accuracy” because it could help you precisely locate your phone if it gets lost or stolen.
Enable Security Settings on your phone
1. Open Settings.
2. Select Google.
3. Select Security.
4. Enable the “Remotely locate this device” option.
Activate Android Device Manager
1. Go to www.google.com/android/devicemanager
2. Sign in with your Google credentials.
3. Test whether the location feature works.

That’s all! If possible, take some time and get familiar with ADM and its options. That way, it’d be easier to use it when you need it.

What Else Can I Use ADM for?

Apart from being able to reset your password remotely, Android Device Manager has many other useful options. As we already mentioned, you can use it to find your device on the map. This is super-useful in case you lose your phone, or it gets stolen. The higher accuracy you set, the better your chances of finding the phone.

Moreover, you can use it to factory reset your phone. A factory reset erases all your data: contacts, photos, apps, etc. If you wonder why someone would do that, here’s the answer. If your phone gets stolen and you can’t find it, at least you can protect your details. You can remotely erase all data, so other people can’t abuse your information.

All you have to do is enter ADM and click on “Erase”. However, for this option to work, your phone has to be online. If it’s not, the factory reset will be performed as soon as the phone connects to the Internet next time. Also, once all data is deleted, you won’t be able to use ADM anymore, as your phone will no longer be connected with it.

That’s why we suggest you backup your phone, just in case. There are many Cloud services you could use. Some of the best are Google Drive, Google Photos, and Microsoft’s OneDrive.

ADM Is Life-Saver

We often wonder how people manage to live without ADM. As you can see, it’s useful in many situations, and sometimes it’s a real life-saver. That’s why we suggest you get familiar with it, even if you don’t need it right now. For who knows when it will come in handy!

Have you ever forgotten your password? Do you know any other way to solve this issue? Let us know in the comments section below.