If your mobile screen has been broken and you cannot unlock it to make a backup of the data you store, you have come to the right article. In this article we show you all the possible options for unlock an Android mobile with a broken screen.
This method is equally valid if it is an Android tablet. Before continuing, I want to remind you that, if you want prevent your mobile screen from breaking again, it is best to use a screen saver along with a cover. They cost very little money compared to what it costs to change the screen or buy a new mobile.
Connect it to a monitor or TV and mouse
If your mobile is a few years old, the first method you should try is to use an OTG cable, a cable that allows us to connect a mouse, a monitor, a keyboard or an external storage unit to our smartphone.
In this case, we would have to opt for a OTG cable together with a hub in order to connect it to a monitor or TV along with a wired mouse.
In this way, with the mouse we will be able to unlock screen by clicking on the numbers that are part of the code or complete the unlock pattern.
But, if your mobile incorporates a USB-C port, better, since in the market we can find Hubs incorporating HDMI outputs (to connect it to a monitor) and several USB ports to connect a keyboard.
This Hub, incorporates up to 7 different ports, including HDMI output, card reader and 3 USB-A ports.
If you have a Samsung mobile
If you have a Samsung smartphone, there is no need to resort to tricks, cables and others to be able to unlock your smartphone thanks to the Samsung Find My Mobile function, as long as, you have registered your device through a Samsung account.
Samsung, like Apple and Huawei, allows us to create an account to associate the devices. In this way, we can obtain a series of additional services such as searching for our mobile, blocking it, deleting its content and even, in the case of Samsung, unlock the screen.
Samsung offers the possibility to unlock the screen of its devices to avoid the user having to reset their device from scratch if you have forgotten your unlock password or pattern, a functionality that only the Korean manufacturer offers us.
For Unlock the screen of a Samsung mobile or tablet, we must perform the steps that I show you below:
- We visit the website Find my mobile (Samsung) e We enter our account data.
- Next, in the right column, the device(s) associated with the account will be displayed.
- Click on the device in question and go to the right side.
- In the window that appears, click Unlock and enter the password for our account.
ADB
Before continuing reading this section (I do not want to waste your time) you should know that in order to use this function, it is necessary that our smartphone have USB debugging enabled, feature available through the Developer Options menu.
If not, then you can go to the next section. If, on the other hand, you remember having activated it, it is likely that you have previously downloaded ADB on your Windows or Linux or Mac PC (you can download it through this link).
ADB is an application we must unzip to a directory and to which we must access, so it is advisable to install it in an easily accessible directory.
Once we have unzipped the application we will carry out the following steps:
- We connect our smartphone to the equipment.
- In Windows, we open a command window through the CMD function and go to the directory where we have unzipped the application.
- Then we write adb devices and press Enter to make sure that the computer has recognized the terminal.
- Next, we write adb shell input xxxx and press Enter where xxxx is the pin code. Next, we type shell input keyevent 66 and press Enter.
If you are protected with an unlock pattern
Not everyone uses a numerical code to protect access to their terminal, but an unlock pattern is used, since it is a faster and more comfortable process.
If it is your case, via ADB we can also get rid of it, but the process requires a greater number of processes, processes that we show you below (after each line we have to press Enter).
- adb shell
- cd /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases
- sqlite3 settings.db
- update system set value = 0 where name = 'lock_pattern_autolock';
- update system set value = 0 where name = 'lockscreen.lockedoutpermanently';
- .quit
- Exit
- adb reboot
If we still haven't managed to remove the lock pattern, we can enter this line additional command:
- adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key
Screen unlock apps
Samsung allows us unlock the screen of your terminals remotely if we have forgotten the PIN code, the unlock pattern or there is no way for it to recognize our fingerprint or face and thus be able to access its interior.
However, as I have mentioned, the rest of the manufacturers do not offer us that option, so the only resource left to us is pass by cashier and pay for one of the different applications available to unlock access to the terminal.
These applications, take advantage of user needs (and they are not exactly cheap), they allow us to unlock the screen and make a backup of all the data that is inside.
However, it does not only allow us to unlock the screen to be able to access its interior without making a backup, since the process involves restoring the device, that is, all the content stored inside it is deleted.
Is it worth changing the screen?
It depends. If the mobile is high-end, the replacement can cost us between 200 and 300 euros, as long as we choose to use the official technical service. This price is reduced to practically half or less if we go to a mobile workshop in our neighborhood.
But of course, the quality of the screen will be much lower than the original, will not have the same level of brightness… These companies do not use original spare parts.
If it is a mid-range mobile, the price of replacing the screen will be lower and sometimes, is it worth buying a new phone than change it.
