How To: Forgot your Android Pattern lock? Don't worry, here's how to bypass it

Android has quite good security options such as pattern lock, password lock, pin lock, face recognition etc. Pattern lock is one of the popular locks among these. But sometimes it becomes a mess. Due to some glitch, a lot of users have reported that pattern lock got failed. It doesn't open if limited no. of trials are done, then user needs to enter Google account. Sometimes it doesn't work and in that situation, user has to wipe the phone as the last option. Even my brother and my close friend also faced it. Their phones got locked and finally they wiped their phones to get the access. But it's not good.

So, today I am telling you how to bypass your Android security pattern lock. If you've accidentally forgotten your pattern then you can take help of this method. A XDA Develoepers member m.sabra found this method to crack the security pattern. 

So let's get started. It works for both rooted and non-rooted phones, but some users reported that it does not work on non-rooted phones, so it is recommend to root your phone. If you don't know how to root then you can follow this link (and also do some Google). You will need Android Software Development Kit (SDK) and also Android Debugging Bridge (ADB) installed. You can read tutorials to how to install Android SDK and ADB. 

Warning

• This tutorial is only for educational purposes and not for getting unauthorized access. So if you are thinking to get unauthorized privileges, then I will not be responsible for anything. 
• There are no guarantee that whether these instructions will work or not. So do everything on your own risk. 
• Read all instructions carefully.

Requirements

• Any Android device with USB Debugging enabled, preferably rooted; or, if not rooted, the device must be running a kernel that grants root access to the adb shell.
• To enable USB Debugging on devices running Android 4.0 and up, go to Settings > Developer Options. Check the box beside the USB Debugging option.
• For devices running on older versions of Android, go to Settings > Applications > Development. Check the box beside the USB Debugging option.
• A computer with ADB installed (tutorial for ADB)
• Your device’s USB cable
• Make sure your device’s battery is charged 75% or more to avoid interruptions during the process.
• Backup all personal data on your phone to make sure you have a copy of your personal data (e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, and the like) in case the procedure in this guide erases such data.

Instructions

1. Connect your device to your PC using the USB cable.
2. On your computer, open a terminal window (or command prompt on Windows-based machines).
3. Type in the following commands at the terminal or command prompt window. Press Enter after every line:
   • adb shell
     • The prompt should display a # rather than a $.  Otherwise, enter su to switch to the root user.
   • 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
4. After your device has rebooted, enter the following commands at the terminal:
   • adb shell
     • The prompt should display a # rather than a $.  Otherwise, enter su to switch to the root user.
   • rm /data/system/gesture.key
   • exit
   • adb reboot
5. Your device will reboot.  After it reboots and asks for a security pattern, you can use any pattern and the device will still unlock.
6. Once you regain access to your device, make sure to change the system security settings to re-select another unlock pattern.

So, you have now successfully bypassed the pattern unlock of your Android device. You can use it again like you used to do. 

Thanks to Android Authority