Having in place a PIN code or pattern to unlock your Android phone is a much recommended security measure if you want to protect your data and maintain your privacy, however it becomes a headache when suddenly your Android Phone is Not Accepting the Correct PIN or Pattern.

So what do you do when Android does not accept your PIN or pattern although you know you’re using the correct one? There are plenty of reports about PIN codes or patterns that suddenly stopped working one day. This is surely very frustrating, however rest assured, you’re not the only one experiencing this problem.

If the Android OS does not recognize your PIN code anymore, stop after the second attempt. Entering a PIN code that the system no longer recognizes as being the correct one will block your phone and you’ll need to use the PUK code. Which most people remember quite where they put it !

To assist you with this problem, we did some research and found a few solutions to this problem.

Fixing an Android Phone Not Accepting Correct PIN or Pattern

1. Reboot your Android phone

This May well be a temporary glitch. Therefore first Try waiting a few minutes. Many users confirmed the phone unlocked all of a sudden without them doing anything.

If waiting does not work then you can also restart your phone. Press and hold down the Power button until the Restart option appears on the screen. Tap Restart and wait until your phone reboots.

Fixing an Android Phone Not Accepting Correct PIN or Pattern

But don’t enter the PIN code or pattern as soon as your device has rebooted. Wait one or two minutes and only then check if the phone recognizes your PIN or pattern.

2. Use your Google credentials

Use this solution if your phone is not accepting your unlock pattern. It is worth mentioning this method usually works for Samsung phones and only if there’s an active Google account signed in on the device.

After making a series of incorrect patterns on your phone (at least 10), you should be prompted to enter your Google account username and password to unlock the phone. Therefore after being prompted enter your Google credentials and see if the phone unlocks now.

2. Factory reset your phone from Recovery Mode

Recovery Mode is a useful built-in troubleshooting option that can help you to fix your Android phone.

While the steps to follow to enter Recovery Mode may be different depending on your phone model, you should be able to enable Recovery Mode by using the instructions below.

Know that factory resetting your phone will delete all the data on your device. Don’t forget to back up your data before proceeding.

  1. Turn your phone off
  2. Press and hold the Volume down and Power buttons at the same time until your phone turns on
  3. Use the Volume down button to navigate to Recovery mode
  4. Use the Power button to select it
  5. Once you’re in Recovery mode, hold the Power button, and press the Volume up button once
  6. Release the Power button now
  7. Use the Volume down button to scroll down to Factory reset
  8. Use the Power button to select this option.

If this method didn’t work on your phone, go to your phone manufacturer’s support page for detailed instructions. Or you can contact directly your phone manufacturer’s support team and have them help you troubleshoot this problem.

Conclusion on Fixing an Android Phone not accepting a correct PIN

As outlined in the methods above, there is really not much that you can do if Android is not accepting correct PIN or pattern. If you are unlucky and this glitch does not go away by itself after either waiting or rebooting your device, you then need to enter Recover mode and factory reset your device as the only other alternative sure fix solution.