Unlocking phone

[cjlee]

Hello All!

My brother in law recently passed, and we are trying to see if there is a way to access his phone, in order to save any memories we have of him, before we restore the phone to factory. He had a Samsung A13, its only passcode protected, is there any way of unlocking the phone?

Many thanks

Chris

[AndrewL]

@cjlee: I'm very sorry to hear of your loss, and understand that preserving your brother in laws memory must be important to you. Sadly, the only means of unlocking a device without knowledge of the lock screen details is to arrange this via an authorised Samsung engineer. Please note that you will need to present valid proof of purchase for the phone, as the service relates to a security feature of the device. I hope this helps. 

[cjlee]

Thank you so much and thank you for this information. What alternative documentation can us as a family provide for proof of ownership? If we cannot find receipts of purchase.

[AndrewL]

@cjlee: If the phone has been registered to his Samsung account, and you have access to the account, then it may be possible to provide a screenshot of the device details from here. I recommend speaking with one of our Support agents by heading to samsung.com > Scroll to the bottom of the screen > Contact us, and they will be able to provide further guidance. 

[arianwen27]

Hang on a sec. Samsung can unlock any Samsung phone if valid proof of purchase can be shown? I was under the impression Samsung phones are secure and without a backdoor. It's a good and thoughtful idea for situations like what cjlee is sadly going through. But I'd expect unlocking without the code to be impossible. Can you clarify what exactly you mean by "unlocking a device"?

[AndrewL]

@arianwen27: I am unsure of the process, however it is possible for our engineers to help customers regain access to their device. This doesn't present any security concerns, so please don't worry.

[Wajih12]

Hello when I contacted my local ubreakifix by Asurion shop they told me this wasnt possible. I haven't changed my screen pattern in 2 years and now it doesnt work. Can you guide me on how I can get in touch with a Samsung engineer like you said? I have proof the phone is mine and full access to my Samsung account.  Thank you.  

[Ethylene]

Do you have any idea of how to go about contacting a Samsung engineer?  I am in the same boat.  My son died and I am trying to get into his phone.  It has all his blood sugar readings.  Since he died from a low blood sugar, this would allow me to finally find out how and when it happened.

[ChrisB_]

Please accept our sincere condolences for your loss, @Ethylene. You can arrange to be contacted by an engineer by filling out a repair request form via our website.

You can also use our Samsung Experience Store locator to see if there are any in your area who could assist you.

[Killuaa]

Why would you expect unlocking a phone without the code to be impossible? There are several cases when it's needed. Losing a loved one is just one of the possible reasons. We should be trying to get Samsung to reenable the SmartThings Find "unlock" option because a lot of us are being locked out of our devices despite knowing the correct password, not restrict access even more.