Lock Screen suddenly asks for Password (always used fingerprint or pattern before)

[HelloPatricia]

I have been using the lock screen pattern for a little over a year now and I always remembered it so it was no biggie. Today, literally out of nowhere, my phone asks me to enter a password. I have no idea why it asked me this, so I tried entering a variety of passwords. All it does is lock the phone for 30 seconds before I can try entering another password once I've had too many tries.

I have no idea what password it wants from me, I only have so many and I tried all of them. It says: "Use password after restart (before I restarted it said Use password to unlock screen), Your password contains at least 4 characters, including at least 1 letter." What password?! See, that's why I hate installing updates, this is just bull*****. I also tried to unlock my phone using Find My Phone and it does not work as it is not connected to the network (I tried restarting it before and I guess that screwed me now). I honestly don't even know if a factory reset would work at this stage, since it does not show any notifications either (apart from:  Phone restarted, Unlock your phone to get app notifications).

Did anyone run into the same problem as I did and find a solution? I honestly don't want to try a factory reset (and I don't really think it's gonna work anyway since it's not showing any incoming notifications, either and I can't let my phone ring using Find My Phone).

This seems to be a major issue as I use my phone for work and can't log into the various accounts now as it is a two step verification...

[Firmwear]

I know this much, you cannot set up fingerprint access without first setting up a number pin, no exceptions that's the case for every single Android phone no idea about iPhone

[WildChild54]

That would be nice if I could get hold of Samsung to do so.

[Firmwear]

Get a hold of them? You're a hold of them now in this community. They're watching listening, they should be chiming in and giving you information. 

I'm surprised I haven't done so yet.

[WildChild54]

All I got was a suggestion that I do a Factory Reset on the phone.  So now all I need to do is figure out how to recreate my Contacts list.  Apparently I turned off Sync somehow and the whole thing is now gone.Sign that after being dead for 20  minutes I shouldn't have been allowed near a Smart Phone!

[bloomy76]

Turn off hold power button down, then turn on hold power button down volume up and bixby button, then into main settings can reset from here while doing this phone needs to be plugged into a pc, ipad, another phone can't be wall as using low voltage

[Firmwear]

First of all, the laptop output voltage on USBC is 5.0 volts, on a wall fast charger it's 5.0 volts. If your battery is fully charged you also need to worry you don't need to hook it up to a PC I don't know anybody keeps saying that. 

What's the Bixby button on a Samsung ultra 24? There's power volume up and volume down. There's no extra button. What are you talking about. 

Are you talking about a factory reset because that's not how you do it either. 

It's going to have the same problem starting the phone up again with this Google account because it's the Google account password that he forgot and that's the password that it's looking for.

[bloomy76]

It was an s9+ bud nice advice sir my issue sorted phone good

[Firmwear]

Another member of that subgroup in the Samsung help community only the 24 ultra how would I be getting this message at all. Also in the original post of this thread there's no mention of the model number, they wouldn't need to be because I'm only a member of the Samsung ultra 24 group well really the Samsung 24 group.

[Lockedout]

Hi. I originally posted in this thread when my S24 Ultra randomly asked for a PIN I never set after several months of using only Biometrics to unlock the phone. Long story short, I had to factory reset the phone. There are no other alternatives- official or otherwise. I posted to multiple different forums looking for even unofficial ways to unlock my phone so I wouldn't lose all of my photos. The only cracks that exist only bypass the Google lock on the phone. Which is  equally enraging as it is hilarious considering that that lock is the one a thief would care least about  since an actual owner of the phone wouldn't want to lose their data which a factory reset instantly deletes.

All you will encounter when posting about this issue are braindead morons who will accuse you of stealing the phone. Their sub 70 IQ minds can not comprehend that if you were a thief, that bypasses already exist to bypass the Google lock which is the only one a thief would encounter. Any actual owner who forgot their PIN would have already lost what they consider valuable- their data. Samsung used to allow for a remote unlock function but cancelled this service. And as far as a cloud backup, if you aren't willing to signup for Onedrive when you get your phone so they can pigeonhole you into a subscription service, your data is simply gone. 

So my suggestion to anyone with a Samsung phone especially the newer ones that if you havent created a PIN, do so now and write it down somewhere. Because apparently this issue is rare enough that few encounter it. So when you go looking for help, you have hundreds of drooling sub human illiterates who couldn't manage to stay within the lines of a coloring book  all spouting the same tired line: 'Well my phone never did that to me!' Then they will lie and say that the phone forces you to set up a PIN when you first get it. Which it doesnt. The phone will happily let you set up only a pattern unlock and biometrics unlock and then through some bug, randomly ask for a PIN. Samsung nor Android will never admit to this because the issue is rare enough that it doesn't effect a critical mass of users to cause them to address it. Your reward for buying one of their buggy 1300$ devices is simply to be called a liar and thief over and over when you encounter this issue. 

TL:DR- If you have not setup a PIN unlock, do so immediately so you don't encounter this. There are no other alternatives.  

[Firmwear]

That's a lot to read.

Why would you not have all of your data backed up either to Google drive or Samsung or your carrier or combinations and continuously backed up while using your phone?