Factory Reset Protection

[AC Question]

I have some devices (Samsung Galaxy Tab E and Galaxy S5) that users have placed their accounts on and "protected" their devices.
These devices belong to my company, and the users have been terminated and are no longer employed...however, I now am being prompted to sign in with their google account or their samsung account in order to proceed past the factory reset that I have kicked off.

How can I get by this? And please, I'm tired of hearing from Samsung that I need to send the device back to them so that THEY can fix it...I want to put the management back in my hands, it's my (company's) device, that I paid for, and continue to pay for...yet I cannot use.

Help!

 

[belodion]

If the former employees will not help, and you do not wish to allow Samsung to help, I don't know that there is anything you can do.

 

[hallux]

I'm not ENTIRELY certain how the Google version works. I know on iOS, once the device connects to the internet (it has to before it completes setup), it communicates to an Apple server that returns a message to sign in to the Apple account that the device was registered to if Find My iPhone/iPad was not turned off before the reset. This is based on the serial number of the device. The device can NOT be signed in to any other account until that account is signed in and Find My iPhone/iPad is turned off. I deal with these in a corporate environment more than Android devices.

I would imagine Google's works similarly, so even a complete OS reinstall using Odin will not get the device functional. This was the "killswitch" that manufacturers were encouraged to add as a theft deterrent. The unfortunate side effect turns out to be situations like yours. There's a reason it's tough to get around, if it was easy it would defeat the intended purpose.

 

[H3aTeRzz]

We just went through this within our company. You'll have to send it in to Samsung, that's even if they'll do it. Our company has rewritten our policy, that NO PERSONAL accounts of any kind can be installed on company equipment, the account must be set up by management.

Hope this helps!

Chris