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Google Pixel Phone PIN Lock Screen Issue Making Them Inaccessible, Possible Workarounds Detailed

Google Pixel Phone PIN Lock Screen Issue Making Them Inaccessible, Possible Workarounds Detailed

Affected users can switch to Pattern or Password authentication for the time being.

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 24 September 2019 14:17 IST

Google Pixel Phone PIN Lock Screen Issue Making Them Inaccessible, Possible Workarounds Detailed

Pixel users are locked out of their phones because of a new bug

Highlights

It is affecting Android 9 Pie, Android 10 users
Google hasn’t responded to the issue as of yet
Many users had to force a factory reset on their units

Pixel owners are now reporting of a bug that isn't allowing them to unlock their phones using PIN codes. Mostly, Pixel XL owners seem to be affected by this bug, but Pixel, Pixel 2, and even Pixel 3 owners are also reporting of the same issue. The issue seems to be affecting phones running on Android 9 Pie and Android 10 both, and it effectively makes the phone inaccessible. One of the workaround is that you switch to Pattern or Password authentication for the time being.

Several Pixel owners, mostly of the Pixel XL, are reporting on the Google forums about this issue. Every time a user tries to unlock their phone using a correct PIN code, the display turns black forcing the user to activate it using the power button. This brings them back to the lock screen, wherein they are asked to put the PIN code again. This goes on in loop, keeping users locked out of the phone. Users need to then authenticate fingerprint to unlock their phone, and this also doesn't work when the phone is rebooted or unlocked after a very long period of time.

Many users had to do a factory reset on the phone to get it back into working condition, but this isn't an ideal solution. Google hasn't responded to the issue as of yet, and there's no clarity if they are aware about this lock screen bug.

If a factory reset seems to be an extreme measure, one user on the forums page, has posted a workaround. He says that when you get to the PIN code lock screen page, click on Emergency call > press the volume buttons > Press the Settings icon on the side volume bar, and then put in your correct PIN code. A new pop-up saying that ‘System UI keeps stopping' should show up. Click on ‘App Info' and then you should be able to unlock using your fingerprint. However, it does only let you access to Settings and create a new user ID as well. This will allow you to use the phone and update to the fix, whenever Google decides to roll it out.

The issue seems to be affecting Android Pie users on the August patch, and Android 10 users on the September patch. The user who came up with the workaround also says that the issue is "with the unlocking security (authorize Part) of the Pin itself as you can't seem to remove it in the settings as this crashes the Settings app."

In any case, switch to Pattern or Password unlocking for the time being, and if your unit is also affected, let Google know through the support page.

Google Pixel 3

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Excellent build, comfortable to handle
Intuitive software features
Very good cameras
HDR capable display
Excellent stereo speakers

Bad
Expensive

Read detailed Google Pixel 3 review

Display 5.50-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 845

Front Camera 8-megapixel + 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12.2-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 2915mAh

OS Android 9.0

Resolution 1080x2160 pixels

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Choose a variant

Google Pixel 2

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Comfortable form factor, lightweight
Great cameras
Intelligent software features
Excellent performance

Bad
Volume button feels stiff
Boring design

Read detailed Google Pixel 2 review

Display 5.00-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 835

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12.2-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 2700mAh

OS Android 8.0.0

Resolution 1080x1920 pixels

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Choose a variant

Google Pixel XL

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Brilliant low-light photography
Fast modern processor
Great battery life
Google Assistant with localisations for India

Bad
Not very stylish or eye-catching
Expensive
No storage expansion

Read detailed Google Pixel XL review

Display 5.50-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 821

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12.3-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 32GB

Battery Capacity 3450mAh

OS Android 7.1

Resolution 1440x2560 pixels

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Choose a variant

Google Pixel

KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Display 5.00-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 821

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12.3-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 32GB

Battery Capacity 2770mAh

OS Android 7.1

Resolution 1080x1920 pixels

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Choose a variant

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