Locked out of my phone

[Boink]

I have a Samsung Galaxy S23 phone which prompted me to do an update last week. I did so, and when I next went to use the phone I was asked to log in with my pin number. The problem is I don't HAVE a pin number! I always intentionally set up my phone to avoid that step, as I've always found it to be a pain in the ass. Perhaps when setting up the phone 3 years ago I set up a pin number under duress, but I've never used it so I don't remember it. I know what it SHOULD be, based on the passwords I use all the time, but none of my guesses work. I DO have access to my Samsung account on my computer, which so far has provided no solutions.

I understand I can set a new pin number by doing a 'factory reset'.  But doing so would erase all my data, and I refuse to do that. I have tons of photos and text threads I just don't want to lose!!

Does anyone have any familiarity with a problem like this? I can't believe there's no simple fix.  It seems so unfair.

[BuffaloKyle]

Found this option for you since you said you have access to your Samsung account on your computer:

Method 1: Using SmartThings Find (Keeps Data)

Open a browser on another device and go to smartthingsfind.samsung.com.

Sign in with the Samsung account linked to your locked phone.

Select your locked phone from the device list.

Click Unlock and enter your Samsung account password to confirm.

Set a new PIN or password on your phone.

[+ JamesB]

I’m not a Samsung user so take this with a grain of salt. As far as I know Samsung’s "Remote Unlock" via SmartThings Find (Find My Mobile) was discontinued. That said, before resigning to a full data loss, check the following:
Even if you haven't manually backed up your phone recently, Android devices often perform silent daily backups while charging over Wi-Fi. On your computer, look under Devices / Backups. Check the timestamp of the last backup. If a backup was made prior to the update, your contacts, text messages (via Samsung Messages), settings and photos (if synced to Samsung Cloud/OneDrive) are safe.
Check Google Drive and Google Photos. Log into photos.google.com and drive.google.com with the Google account associated with the phone. Go to Drive > Storage > Backups. Look for a device backup file for your Galaxy S23. If active, Google automatically backs up text messages, call history, app data, and device settings.
Try common system default PINs. When Android software updates force a lock screen on an un-PINned device, it sometimes defaults to standard initial setups or carrier-level locks: 0000, 1234 or the last 4 digits of your phone number.

Reboot into Safe Mode. A third-party security app or a corrupt update cache may be triggering the prompt. Press and hold the Power/Side Key + Volume Down until the power menu appears. Tap and hold the Power Off icon on screen until Safe Mode appears. Tap Safe Mode. If a corrupt app caused the prompt, Safe Mode may allow entry or let you try biometrics.

If none of these work, I believe there is no reliable way to recover or bypass a forgotten screen lock PIN. Samsung (and Android) encrypt the lock credentials on-device, neither Samsung Support nor your Samsung account can retrieve or reset the PIN itself.

Good luck. Hopefully one of these options gets you back into your phone. 

[Boink]

Thanks fellas, I appreciate your tips.  I did try the SmartThings Find, and they have indeed discontinued the remote unlock feature.  

The fun part of my experience was trying to log into my Samsung and Google accounts. Neither of them would let me in without two-step verification.  This entailed them sending me a one time pass code number via...you guessed it...TEXT! AND I COULDN'T GET TEXTS!!!

On the advice from someone at U-BREAK-I-FIX, I obtained an old no longer used phone and I inserted the SIM card from MY phone. This allowed  me to receive texts to my number, even though it wasn't my phone.  Then I was finally able to get into my accounts.  I happily found that I had indeed set up back ups for everything, including all my text threads, which I was most worried about losing.  I then spent the whole afternoon on (another) phone with Samsung Tech support who finally convinced me there was no solution outside of doing a factory reset. Which deletes all my data, i.e. photos.  So I reluctantly bit the bullet and went down that path, knowing at least I'd get my texts back.  In the end, I was without a phone for 9 days, so I lost 9 days worth of texts that hadn't been backed up. And my pictures.  But nothing heartbreaking there.

And I was tasked with setting up all my 'stuff' the way it was; re-logging in to EVERYTHING. And in that process I was asked about setting up security on my phone. And it all came back to me - I distinctly remember checking "none" when I set up my phone the first time, as I did again this time. So maybe I'm NOT senile. There was never any password for me to remember in the first place!  And why it kicked into 'password' mode after I performed a simple system update is a mystery I'll never solve. 

Anyway, thanks again for your input!

[BuffaloKyle]

1 hour ago, Boink said:

And it all came back to me - I distinctly remember checking "none" when I set up my phone the first time, as I did again this time.

Maybe you should make a pin though just in case this happens again. Something simple and easy to remember.