Unlock broken screen

[Megmeg]

I have a S20FE. I smashed the screen and a week later, got the black screen of death. My alarms continue to go off, so there is still some operation.

I was able to use an USB c to HDMI adapter dock to plug my phone into a computer monitor. It does not mirror my device. Rather, it shows the time and an image of a lock that jumps around the screen.

When an alarm went off, it mirrored my device. At the top, it said my device has been restarted so I needed to unlock it. I used a mouse plugged into the dock to dismiss the alarm. The screen returned to displaying the time and the jumping around lock image.

It seems like I could access my display and all my data if I simply could unlock the phone any ideas how? I have a fingerprint (which doesn't work well) and a typed backup password. You have to swipe first to get to the screen to type the password.

Other information:

On the Samsung version of find my phone, I do not have the option to remotely unlock the phone.

When I plug it into my computer, there is a feedback sound to indicate the phone was plugged in. However, I can't see the device on my laptop, which I believe is because I can't use my phone screen to unlock the phone. 

When I connect my phone to my laptop using the dock, nothing happens. I've installed dex on my laptop but it doesn't recognize the device.

I plugged my phone into my tv with the dock, but at the time didn't realize the dock needed a power source. I was able to see a mirror image of my phone which then went to black but returned when I clicked a side button on my phone. This repeated a few times and then my phone made a long vibrating sound and I lost connection. I have not been able to get it back on the tv, but have been able to connect it to the computer monitor as described above after this happened. I was also able to see a greater charge on the phone than when it died, showing me the charging port still works.

The phone has an update scheduled after the black screen of death.

I don't know if the touchscreen is still working on the phone.

I have held down the power keys and volume keys and will get vibration feedback but no display on whatever I've plugged the phone into.

I have also used this doc to try to display an operation Motorola g(7) play. It has not worked, making me question whether my set up is faulty or if the motorola is simply not supported since I was able to mirror my device on the alarm screen.

Thank you!

[BandOfBrothers]

Hello @Megmeg and may I extend a Warm Welcome to the Samsung Community Forum 👋 

This Samsung Support Link may help >  https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/i-smashed-my-screen-and-cannot-use-the-touchscreen... 

If i can be of any further help please don't hesitate to ask  😎 

[Megmeg]

Thanks for sharing. Unfortunately, I tried those options before posting here. The barrier is my phone needs to be unlocked for those programs to work. I cannot unlock it because I can't see the screen and I'm not sure if the touch screen works anymore. I'm looking to figure out how to swipe so my phone brings me to the password unlock view when it is hooked up to a monitor.

[Mat Lec]

Hi,

I’m experiencing the exact same issue with my S20 FE, and I was wondering if you’ve found a solution since your original post.

Were you able to unlock your phone and access your data? If so, how did you do it? I’m stuck at the same stage where I can see the lock screen on an external monitor but can’t enter my password without swiping first.

Any updates or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[Megmeg]

Yes! Hopefully I can help you. I don't remember all the steps, but I searched my chat history with a family member where I explained that I got in. This is what I said.

Press the "tab" key until it allows you to give your phone permission to connect. This brought me to my emergency services screen. From there, you can change the function of your side buttons, which helped me log in somehow.

I should have written out the steps and posted when I got in. I was just so happy to get in. Please tell me if these directions help and if so, what steps I'm missing so we can post for a future person.

[Tom202]

Thank you so much! Once in the emergency services screen hit a volume button. Then while the volume meter is up use your mouse to click the three dots at top to open full volume menu. Then click the settings icon. That popped up a thing for me to put in my login pattern! 

Thank you so much again!

[Tom202]

Once in the emergency services screen hit a volume button. Then while the volume meter is up use your mouse to click the three dots at top to open full volume menu. Then click the settings icon. That popped up a thing for me to put in my login pattern!