Forgotten lock screen pattern - now can't access my phone

[Android Central Question]

I have a Moto phone that's about 2 years old. I've been quite happy with it but turned off my phone going on a flight to France, didn't use the phone for a week, now can't remember the pattern I had (premature senility). Can I just log in with my thumb print? or my google user name and password? or anything ....

Help.

Mike

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Even if you have fingerprint unlock turned on, Android phones typically will still ask you for your backup PIN/password/pattern on occasion (especially after powering off and then powering back on). This is for added security. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do -- there's no legitimate way of recovering your pattern, since that would make it a pretty poor security measure. Your only option at this point would be to do a hardware key factory reset (which will require you to enter your Google account and password -- hopefully you remember that), which will wipe the phone, of course.

 

[belodion]

Try entering several wrong patterns to get the phone to prompt you for your backup PIN.


Sigh. Posted same moment as above.

 

[B. Diddy]

I think the problem is that the pattern is the OP's backup, assuming they set up their fingerprint sensor.

 

[belodion]

I think the problem is that the pattern is the OP's backup, assuming they set up their fingerprint sensor.

Yes indeed, I considered that possibility, but it was not clearly stated in the question, so I had to resort to guesswork, which of course may very easily be wrong.