Why is my phone encrypted and how can I factory reset it?

[Desperato]

There is a lot going on here that I couldn't type into the question. Basically I was on the train today and my HTC One SV phone died and when I went to turn it on it was encrypted with the input box and two buttons at the bottom that read 'Emergency Call' and 'Decrypt.' I haven't touched the encryption settings on my phone so I don't know how it got there and I never went through the process of putting in a password so I don't know what to do. I then, volume down + power button to boot loader and tried to factory reset but whenever I click onto it, it just goes towards the 'fast boot' setting and now I'm really screwed.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! That is a real problem. Is there any possibility that some "friend" of yours was playing a stupid prank on you?

What happens if you fail the screen unlock enough times? Does it trigger a factory reset? That would be one way to go about it.

 

[Desperato]

Hi, and thanks for welcoming me to the community. I'm a bit of a dimwit when it comes to forums so I didn't know how to respond back onto mine, but to answer your question no. I don't let my friends use my phones and even if they did get a hold of it, it is pattern password protected. Also, it says '30 attempts remain before data device is deleted.' but every time I try to enter a code in, the number is persistent and stays at 30. I think for right now, I need a new phone. Thanks for responding.

Okay so I found it. Thanks again and I'll just repost my response incase anyone else has the same trouble.

 

[B. Diddy]

That really is an odd situation. Maybe the number won't count down--did you try failing the screen lock a full 30 times? 30 also seems like a strange number--it's usually around 10.