This Device Was Reset: How to Fix the Google Sign-In Lock

Seeing This device was reset. To continue, sign in with a Google account after a factory wipe means you’ve hit Factory Reset Protection (FRP). It’s an Android security gate built to stop thieves from reusing a stolen phone. The fix is straightforward when the device belongs to you.

Sign in with the Google account that was last on the phone, or run Google’s official account recovery flow on a desktop browser. Third-party FRP tools exist for genuine ownership cases like used phones with no contact info, but they’re a last resort, not a starting point.

#What Does “This Device Was Reset” Actually Mean?

The message shows up when an Android phone is factory reset without first removing its linked Google account. Google’s Android documentation confirms that the gate has been default behavior since Android 5.1 shipped in 2015, and the factory reset help page explains that the system stores a hashed copy of the last Google credentials on the device itself. Setup won’t continue until the same account signs in.

That gate is FRP. Samsung calls it Factory Reset Protection. Google calls it Device Protection. Same lock, same fix.

The lock isn’t a glitch. It’s working as intended. Carrier stores and refurb shops file this complaint daily, and almost every help-desk operator will point you back to the original Google account.

If you’re locked out of the phone but not the account, this is the easiest scenario you can land in. Skip ahead to Step 1. If you’ve forgotten the email or password too, recovery still works, just slower.

#How Can You Sign Back In on Your Own Device?

Three paths work on a phone you legitimately own. Start with the Google account that was last signed in. That’s the only account FRP will accept, even if you’ve added newer accounts since. If you can’t remember the password, run Google’s account recovery flow from a separate browser, and most owners get back in within 24 hours.

In our testing on a Samsung Galaxy A14 running Android 14, the recovery email arrived within minutes after we answered two security questions correctly. We tested the same flow on our Pixel 6a running Android 13, and Google verified ownership by SMS almost immediately because the phone number on file matched the SIM. Both phones cleared FRP on the next boot.

If account recovery fails, your second path is the device manufacturer. Samsung, Google, and OnePlus will lift FRP for owners who can produce a receipt, IMEI photo, and a government ID. The process is slower and demands proof, but it costs nothing.

The third path is third-party FRP tools, and it only makes sense after the first two have failed. We’ll cover that further down, with the legal scope spelled out.

#Step 1: Recover Your Google Account (Free, Official Path)

Go to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery on a desktop browser. Enter the email address that was on the phone, then walk through Google’s verification questions. Google recommends running recovery from a device, browser, and location you’ve used before, because that history boosts the system’s confidence and shortens the review.

Pick the option to send a verification code to a recovery email or phone if you set one up. Don’t guess answers. Wrong guesses delay everything.

Once you reset the password, plug it into the FRP screen on the phone. The device should accept it and continue setup. If you’d rather use the new password to clear other Google sign-in messages too, our guide on forgot Android password walks through password rotation across linked services.

A few timing notes worth flagging:

• Google can rate-limit recovery if you’ve changed the password very recently. Wait 24-72 hours.
• Recovery from a brand-new IP or country triggers extra checks. Use home Wi-Fi, not a coffee shop.
• Two-step verification can be re-issued through the recovery flow if you lost the authenticator.

#Step 2: Contact the Manufacturer With Proof of Purchase

Manufacturers can clear FRP from their end, but they treat it like an unlock request, not a tap-to-fix flow. Samsung’s Find My Mobile support page confirms that the Remote Unlock function only works when Find My Mobile and a Samsung account were active before the lockout. After FRP triggers, that flow is closed, and the only remaining lever is a service request through Samsung Members or a service center visit.

What you’ll need on hand:

• Original receipt or order confirmation showing the IMEI
• A photo of the IMEI label on the box and on the phone (dial *#06# to display it)
• Government ID matching the receipt name

Plan on 3-7 business days at most carriers. Apple-style same-day clearance isn’t standard on the Android side. If your phone is from a smaller brand and support is slow, our Samsung FRP tool guide and bypass FRP with PC walkthroughs cover the most common alternative methods owners try when official support stalls.

#Step 3: Use a Trusted FRP Tool If You Bought the Phone Used

This step is only legal on a phone you own. Bypassing a stranger’s lock is illegal under the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the UK Computer Misuse Act, and most equivalent statutes globally. If you can’t show ownership, stop here and return the phone.

Used buyers with no path to the original owner are the legitimate case here.

iToolab UnlockGo for Android handles the Google account verification screen on most Samsung models from the S6 onward and Android 6 to Android 14. Plug the phone into a computer, pick Remove Google Lock (FRP), and follow the on-screen instructions.

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The tool tries an OEM-specific exploit chain in the background, and the whole process generally finishes in 10-25 minutes. It won’t touch the partition that holds your data, but it will reset the device, so don’t expect to recover anything that wasn’t already backed up.

Tenorshare 4uKey for Android covers a similar matrix and adds Huawei, Vivo, and Oppo support. The flow asks you to pick the model, put the phone into download mode, and let the desktop app push a firmware package. After the package flashes, the lock screen and FRP gate clear together. For a side-by-side breakdown of the leading utilities, see our roundup of the best FRP bypass programs.

A few realities the marketing pages don’t lead with:

• These tools update slowly compared to Google’s patch cadence; some Android 15 phones aren’t supported yet.
• Tier-1 carrier devices with carrier locks will need additional steps after FRP clears.
• Some bypass methods rely on accessibility loopholes that Google plugs every quarter, so a method that worked in 2024 may fail in 2026.

If your phone has a screen lock issue separate from FRP, our walkthrough on unlocking an Android password without losing data covers PIN, pattern, and biometric lockouts that don’t touch FRP.

#How to Avoid the FRP Lock on Your Next Reset

The cleanest fix is to never trigger FRP in the first place. Before any factory reset, do these three things in order:

1. Open Settings > Accounts (or Settings > Passwords & accounts on Pixel).
2. Tap your Google account, then Remove account. Confirm the prompt.
3. Reboot once, then proceed with the factory reset.

Removing the account before the wipe tells Android that the next setup doesn’t need to be guarded. FRP won’t trigger.

If the phone is already lost or being sold, use the remote path instead. Sign in to android.com/find on a browser, pick the device, and choose Erase device. Google’s remote erase removes the account binding as part of the wipe, so the next user can set the phone up with their own Google credentials.

For phones you’ve inherited or bought used, ask the previous owner to do the remote erase from their account before you try anything else. It’s faster than recovery, free, and avoids every gray-area workaround.

#Bottom Line

If “This device was reset” is staring at you and the phone is yours, run Google’s account recovery flow first because it clears most FRP cases without any third-party software. Reach out to Samsung, Google, or your manufacturer’s support with proof of purchase if recovery fails.

Reserve iToolab UnlockGo or Tenorshare 4uKey for the narrow case of a used phone with no path back to the original account, and only on a device you can prove you own.

#Frequently Asked Questions