Google Pixel 3 – Forgot PIN Password – What to Do

However good it might be, fingerprint recognition technology is not perfect. This doesn’t just go for the Pixel 3, but all other phones that have this feature as well. There are many situations when you can unlock your device with your finger.

For this reason, you always have to a PIN as a backup. But what happens if you forget it? The answer is simple – you’ll get locked out of your phone, and unless you remember the PIN, you’ll have to find another way of unlocking your device.

Thankfully, Google knows that this isn’t that rare of an occurrence, which is why the Pixel phones come equipped with ways of unlocking your device even if you don’t have the password.

Manually Erasing Your Pixel 3

Going around password protection comes at a price. If you want to restore the password directly from your device, you need to sacrifice all your data. This won’t be that big of an issue if you perform regular backups. If you don’t, you’re out of luck.

If you’re willing to wipe the slate clean in order to access your Pixel 3 again, here’s what to do:

1. Turn off your device.
2. Press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons until you reach the bootloader mode, then release.
3. Go to Recovery mode. Use the Volume buttons to navigate through the options and select by using the Power
4. If you see ‘No Command’ on the screen, hold the Power button and press the Volume Up button, and then release the Power
5. From the Recovery screen, choose Wipe data/factory reset.
6. Select Yes, then wait for a few minutes until the process is complete.
7. Select Reboot system now.

After you do this, you’ll have to set up your Pixel 3 from scratch. If there’s a backup, you’ll be able to recover all your data during the setup process.

Luckily, there’s another method that ensures you can both access your phone and leave all your data intact.

Using Find My Device

Google’s Find My Device app lets you locate your device in case it’s stolen or misplaced. For this to work, GPS needs to be enabled. If not, and you have your phone with you, all it takes is for it to be turned on and connected to the internet. If it is, here’s what to do:

1. Go to the Find My Device
2. Log in with the Google Account that’s active on your phone.
3. If you have multiple devices, select the relevant one from the menu in the upper-left corner.
4. Choose Lock on the left side of the screen.
5. You’ll be asked to type in a new password. So do that and confirm it.
6. Go to your Pixel 3 and use the new password to get in.

That’s it! You can now go back to your Pixel 3 without any data loss.

The Final Word

Ideally, your Pixel 3 would be connected to the internet when it locked you out. This way you can use Find My Device to change your password easily without losing all your data. If it’s not, a factory reset is your only option.

If there’s anything else you’d like to know about your Pixel 3, go ahead and let us know in the comments.

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