


Removing your Google activation lock from device settings on your phoneĭepending on the exact model of the Android phone, the steps to remove your Google account may differ slightly.

Note: If a Google account password is changed before performing the reset instead of being fully removed the message “Please sign in using one of the owners accounts for this device” will appear. This indicates the Google account on the phone is now locked for 72 hours and you must wait for it to reset. Therefore it is safer for the account to be removed before the factory reset takes place to ensure your account is fully removed. For example, if the phone is factory reset with the Google account still signed in, the phone will still ask for those credentials once it turns back on. In most cases, a factory reset does not remove the activation lock from the phone. For Samsung phones, it is possible that both types of activation locks are present and you would need to remove both. Google and Samsung each have their own activation locks and offer different methods of removal. If you're returning, replacing or selling your phone the lock should be disabled beforehand. If the activation lock is not removed from the phone it renders the phone unusable to anyone other than yourself. An activation lock prevents someone else from gaining access to your phone should it be lost or stolen.
