How to Reset Samsung Galaxy S3 Passcode

Forgetting the Samsung Galaxy S3 passcode can be such a pain. This is because you will lose the ability to operate your phone. However, losing or forgetting your Galaxy S3 passcode shouldn’t be a big problem because there is actually an easy way to reset it.

All you have to do is follow the steps below:

1. While your Galaxy S3 is turned off, press the Power, Home and Volume Up buttons altogether. Hold them for a few seconds.

2. You will see the Samsung Galaxy S3 logo followed by the green Android logo. Once you see the green Android logo, let go of the buttons that you are holding down.

3. The next screen will take you to the Android System Recovery menu.

4. Use the Volume Down key to scroll down in the list. Stop when the Wipe Data/Factory Reset option has been highlighted.

5. Press the Power button to select the option.

6. This will confirm a wipe of all your user data. Again, use the Volume Down button to navigate along the choices and use the Power button to select the “Yes – delete all user data” option.

Take note that the trade off of this process is that you will be losing all the data stored in your device. So, try your very best to recall your passcode before bypassing it.

Alternative Solution

To preserve the data of your Galaxy S3, you can also try this exploit which was revealed before by Full Disclosure’s Sean McMillian:

1. Go to Emergency Call.

2. Proceed to Emergency Contacts.

3. Press the Home button once.

4. Tap the Power or Lock button in a quick succession.

5. If successful, this will take you to the Home screen.

According to the source, there are instances wherein results were achieved right away and there were times where it took more than 20 attempts. Take note also that this exploit was performed using a Galaxy S3 unit with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with kernel version 3.031-742798.

We would like to remind you too that we haven’t tried this because this exploit has been uncovered way back in March this year. So, there is a huge possibility that the issue has already been fixed through recent software updates and it may no longer work. But still, if you are desperate to preserve your data, this may still be worth a try.

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Alternative Solution Source: SecLists.org