I can't reset password using Android Device Manager, anyone have a solution? (Galaxy Note 2)

[cyvene]

Hi!

TL;DR :
Got locked out by Prey. Android Device Manager shows error when trying to lock and reset the password. Still have AirDroid to copy all the files, make calls, and send message. In the end, the prime question is : Will simply copy-pasting all files to a reset phone restore SMS and Call Logs?

Full Story:

I've been locked out by Prey for 5 days because I tried to uninstall it. I don't remember the password and no longer have access to the email I registered with. I've contacted them and the one reply they sent didn't help and with the Holidays, it might take until next year.

So, I've been posting in androidforums and prey forum itself with no luck and I hope I could get better answer here.

The first thing I did is using Android Device Manager to lock the phone and reset the screen password. However, whatever I'm putting in the password box, I got this error message :

"Your new password was not strong enough. Your device has the following password requirements: NaN - 16 characters long"

And yes, I've tried every combinations above and below 16 characters (all letters, all numbers, all symbols, combination of two or more with capitals). In the end, I think it may be Prey's doing of preventing a reset from Google account. I couldn't find a direct email support to Google regarding Android and if any of you know one, it'd be really helpful.

Luckily, I have AirDroid installed so I could backup all my latest media as well as the .vcf contact but despite being able to access every call logs and text messages, there doesn't seem to be an option to backup them all.

I have also backed up all files that are accessible in AirDroid from both the Internal Storage and external SD Card.

So, all in all, I have come up to conclusion that these are the possible solutions :

- Google no longer shows that NaN error and I'm able to lock and reset my password normally.
- Restore all the files I've backed up from AirDroid to the would-be hard reset phone by pasting them. I'm not 100% positive that this would restore SMS and Call logs though.
- Factory reset the phone and aside from trying to simply copy-paste all the files I've backed up, I'll also try recovery software like Wondershare MobileGo which I've seen able to restore them all after a hard reset.
- Prey replies fast enough and help me rest the password via some verifications before I got too impatient and reset the phone.

As stated above, my main question would be whether copy-pasting the files will restore the SMS and Call Logs. I also would like to know if recovery software like MobileGo will restore them after a reset in case a simple copy-paste doesn't work.

Any other solutions to this are very welcome and since I'm going to take a New Year's trip in a few days, I'd probably take a risk on losing my SMS and Call logs data from the stated possible solutions in any case.

Please help in any way you can! Thank you and Happy Holidays!

 

[Rukbat]

You can't back up SMS or call logs without getting into the phone (and if you could you wouldn't have a problem, so you wouldn't be asking for help).

NaN means Not a Number, and it's probably an error being thrown by the Javascript on the web page - because something funny is going on in the phone, or because the site's overloaded (which the entire internet is around the holidays).

Depending on the phone and your carrier, the carrier may be able to help you by resetting the lock screen to None (without knowing the password). Or, if you're in the US, the Samsung Experience desk at Best Buy may be able to.

 

[cyvene]

Ow, that's what I'm afraid of. As for the Android Device Manager error, I've tried every browser and it's still the same error. I tried it with my Tab 2 tablet for comparison and a simple 1234 password did it so it's very likely that Prey is the cause of that error. Weirdly enough, I've read a few people will ended up being asked for their Google details if they put too much wrong password but somehow my Note 2 doesn't do that.

I'm not in the US but the fact that Samsung service staffs could remove the password is definitely new to me. I still have everything I got when I purchased it so it should be easy to verify. I'll try calling and visiting them tomorrow or on Monday if they're open but based on your experience, would they be able to do that without wiping data?