How to stop SD card from being encrypted and to remove the Exchange policy from the phone

[Nicky Precht]

Scenario:
I have a very nice Galaxy S3. Unrooted I9300 with latest official firmware.
I am in a company with an exchange server.
About 5 months ago, I set up the ActiveSync/Exchange account on my personal Galaxy S3. the policy required me to have a 4-digit pin. Fair enough - pin set up.
Yesterday, an updated policy was rolled out. Now a 6-digit pin was required. My thoughts was: Hmmm... Okay. Fair enough - pin set up.
Then the "Encrypt your phone" menu page popped up (grayed out). I thought: This is madness! and pressed back, cancel, everything and removed the exchange account from my phone, feeling like I just dodged a bullet.

Now here is the problem:
The settings from the Exchange device administrator still rule my phone. I only had the option to change to a password as a way to unlock my screen.
I tried to set a password and hoped it would help getting some other options back. It didn't and I can't select pin anymore. All other options are disabled by device administrator.
My SD card is now unmounted, as it is not allowed, while it is not encrypted.
Every time my phone reboot, it displays the notice "To use your SD Card, it must be encrypted. Tap Continue to encrypt your SD card". And I have to type in a silly pass code every time I want to unlock... I'm afraid of charging my phone above 80%, as that is when the encryption can start.

I have removed all device administrators.
I have removed all certificates.
I have removed the Exchange account.
I have rebooted.
I have unmounted and remounted the SD card physically.

I could reset the phone, but then my Bad piggies progress and scores (and alike) go *poof*...

How do I make it stop?

Samsung Denmark inform me that the only way to get around this problem is:

• Backup everything through Kies
• Reset to factory defaults with a check mark in "Format USB Storage"
• If that doesn't work, send it for repair

I think I will try to backup as much as possible and do the reset. This must be an Android bug

 

[friedtators]

i am not positive because info is lacking here. but i bet its more than exchange. they have your phone in their active directory which means they control your phone and the mail. samsung should sense that and tell you to contact your company for help..

 

[Nicky Precht]

If you feel info is missing, that I should provide to get help, please let me know.
About the phone in the AD, it may be, but since I removed all link to that Exchange server, they can't connect with my phone or vice versa.
The issue is that the phone seems to be determined to enforce the encryption and the other settings from the last policy it got from the (now disconnected) exchange...

 

[Nonsym]

Gah, this happened to me too!!! Frustrating! I have a new Galaxy S4. I actually wrote the first half of this post, played with the phone some more, and fixed it (so far, for now, hopefully fixed it).

My work also requires Exchange Activesync. I had started to set up my exchange account, but when it got to the encryption part, I exited out (had a bad experience in the past with encryption causing massive loss of battery life on my tablet) and deleted the exchange account. After this, I had a pin to unlock but all the other settings were greyed out. The only thing that was selectable was a password. I thought that maybe the other options would come back if I selected password, but they didn't. I was just stuck with the password.
I tried deleting all credentials, removing device administrators, removing the SD card... nothing.

BUT, I thought maybe re-installing Divide and setting it as the administrator might help get the phone off of the residual Exchange policy. I reinstalled divide, set up the account, it let me select a pin again, and I no longer got the message upon restarting that "to use your SD card it must be encrypted". Then went to storage settings, 'encrypt external SD card', removed all the checkmarks, enter pin/password to confirm, and select 'agree' to decrypt. Then I uninstalled Divide. All of the options for screen unlock are now available, and it's not harassing me to encrypt my SD card anymore!

By the way, check out MailDroid for Exchange Activesync email. The description says activesync isn't supported, but I chose "Exchange 2010" as the account type and it's working for me. Can send and receive emails both on my home wifi and on the wifi network at work. Without the phone or SD card being encrypted. It also happens to be a really nice-looking email app with great support!

 

[Raul Bilc]

Hi guys,

I had the same issue like you had. I was stuck with the SD card encrypted after removing the exchange email account.
Here are the stepts I used to get out of this stuck situation and now I am able to remove the password as well:

1: I re-added the email account
2: Went to Security-Device Administrators
Here I unchecked the Email Exchange Admistrator, then it asked me if I want to deactivate, this operation has removed the email account.
3: Have rebooted the phone
3: From Security - Credential storage - I cleared the credentials
4: I went to Security - Encript SD card - Set screen lock type - then I changed my password - and the Disable button has appeared - doing that it will decrypt the SD card - it takes some time
5: In the meantime go to My Device - Lock Screen and you'll be able to set None for Security

And VOILA, your phone is back decrypted as before using mailexchange - of course if you still want to use mailexchange - you need to encript again, and set a passwd.
I hope it works for you as well!!
Have a nice day

 

[quitepainful]

Hi guys,

I had the same issue like you had. I was stuck with the SD card encrypted after removing the exchange email account.
Here are the stepts I used to get out of this stuck situation and now I am able to remove the password as well:

1: I re-added the email account
2: Went to Security-Device Administrators
Here I unchecked the Email Exchange Admistrator, then it asked me if I want to deactivate, this operation has removed the email account.
3: Have rebooted the phone
3: From Security - Credential storage - I cleared the credentials
4: I went to Security - Encript SD card - Set screen lock type - then I changed my password - and the Disable button has appeared - doing that it will decrypt the SD card - it takes some time
5: In the meantime go to My Device - Lock Screen and you'll be able to set None for Security

And VOILA, your phone is back decrypted as before using mailexchange - of course if you still want to use mailexchange - you need to encript again, and set a passwd.
I hope it works for you as well!!
Have a nice day

Thanks, i followed these steps as i was trying to change settings and lock screen before putting the exchange services back on! dead on! thank you!!!

 

[Sriram Vemuri]

I was very much facing the same issue.
I followed the steps as exactly mentioned in your post and it worked for me.
Thank you so much! I am so glad that I am able to unlock my phone without being asked to enter the damn pin every single time.
Thank you again, Raul!!!
Cheers!!

 

[Ahmed Reaz]

Re: How to get SD card files, image after encrypted enabled and disable

Dear,

i have encrypted sd card of my samsung s4- mini.
than i disable the sd card encryption, as this feels me bad to give password all time.
But after doing the disable, my sd card image, gallery is now totally not viewing.
pls help me in this regard to get my image & gallery recover. Thanks.

regards/ Reaz

 

[David Schneider2]

Thanks , but how did you clear all the credentials in your security. I have like 50 and it looks like you have to do each individually.

Let em know.

Thanks

David

 

[fxsjose]

Thank you so much....
I exactly followed the same steps mentioned and got rid of PIN/Password lock as well as I could decrypt my SD card

 

[CodeKiller]

You save my life (and my phone...) ! :-D

 

[CodeKiller]

Thanks , but how did you clear all the credentials in your security. I have like 50 and it looks like you have to do each individually.

Let em know.

Thanks

David

You don't need to clear the certificat suppliers !
you have a greyed "button" in fact. For me this step was not necessary. I just continue and select a password instead of a "pin code", then go to sd (this was the issue for me, at boot the phone wanted to encrypt the sd card while the phone was still not encrypted...) and the "disable" button just appeared by magic...

 

[Kiranandroid]

Hi All,

I did all the steps mentioned above

cleared credintials
set the sd card encryption

I still get all other options greyed out except the password.

and I do not have the microsoft exchange.

 

[Monster Zack]

Scenario:
I have a very nice Galaxy S3. Unrooted I9300 with latest official firmware.
I am in a company with an exchange server.
About 5 months ago, I set up the ActiveSync/Exchange account on my personal Galaxy S3. the policy required me to have a 4-digit pin. Fair enough - pin set up.
Yesterday, an updated policy was rolled out. Now a 6-digit pin was required. My thoughts was: Hmmm... Okay. Fair enough - pin set up.
Then the "Encrypt your phone" menu page popped up (grayed out). I thought: This is madness! and pressed back, cancel, everything and removed the exchange account from my phone, feeling like I just dodged a bullet.

Now here is the problem:
The settings from the Exchange device administrator still rule my phone. I only had the option to change to a password as a way to unlock my screen.
I tried to set a password and hoped it would help getting some other options back. It didn't and I can't select pin anymore. All other options are disabled by device administrator.
My SD card is now unmounted, as it is not allowed, while it is not encrypted.
Every time my phone reboot, it displays the notice "To use your SD Card, it must be encrypted. Tap Continue to encrypt your SD card". And I have to type in a silly pass code every time I want to unlock... I'm afraid of charging my phone above 80%, as that is when the encryption can start.

I have removed all device administrators.
I have removed all certificates.
I have removed the Exchange account.
I have rebooted.
I have unmounted and remounted the SD card physically.

I could reset the phone, but then my Bad piggies progress and scores (and alike) go *poof*...

How do I make it stop?

Samsung Denmark inform me that the only way to get around this problem is:

• Backup everything through Kies
• Reset to factory defaults with a check mark in "Format USB Storage"
• If that doesn't work, send it for repair

I think I will try to backup as much as possible and do the reset. This must be an Android bug

 

[Monster Zack]

Hi i read your post and
on my job they doing samething
they put some codes on my external s d and erase
photos saved personal stuff
and they treat me as a drug smuggler .....they triying to
find something isnot there....
I tryto erase them and said
cant erase fiiles ??? Wtf
please somebody help me on this one.....