Unlock your Samsung Galaxy A16

OS: Android 14, up to 6 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1

CPU: Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)

RAM: 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM

Display: 6.7 inches, 110.2 cm² (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio)

Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), AF
5 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide)
2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)

Battery: 5000 mAh

1. Use the Tenorshare 4uKey for Android app.
2. Make a hard reset (factory reset).
3. How to use a low battery to unlock a phone locked with a graphic key.
4. Delete 'gesture.key' and 'password.key' using Aroma File Manager.
5. Restore access to your smartphone using your Google Account.

1. Use the Tenorshare 4uKey for Android app.

Connect your smartphone to your PC and launch the 4uKey for Android program.
A menu will open on the PC screen, press Remove.
The program will warn you about deleting all data on the phone, to continue working, click OK.
Wait until the end of the operation, and put the phone into recovery mode.
Click the Next button, then follow the steps recommended by the program to restore the device to factory settings and reboot it. After rebooting the smartphone, the screen lock will be disabled.

2. Make a hard reset (factory reset)

Turn off your smartphone.Simultaneously press and hold for about 10-15 seconds one of the button combinations:
Volume down button + Power button;
Volume up button + Power button;
Volume down button + Power button + Home button;
Volume down button + Volume up button + Power button.
Select Recovery using volume buttons to navigate through the menu and confirm selection by pressing the power button.
Select Wipe data/factory reset. by using the volume buttons to move through the menu and confirm the selection by pressing the power button.
Confirm the hard reset and reboot the phone.

3. How to use a low battery to unlock a phone locked with a graphic key.

You need to make sure that the battery of the phone is discharged.
When the battery has a few percent charge left, the phone will notify about this and open the menu with power settings, that is, it will unlock the phone.
You need to quickly open the menu item with security settings and disable the lock.

4. Delete 'gesture.key' and 'password.key' using Aroma File Manager.

Turn off your smartphone and remove the memory card from it.
Copy the Aroma File Manager program to the phone's memory card. Insert a memory card into your smartphone.
Using the combination of volume and power buttons, put the smartphone into recovery mode.
In recovery mode, find the item Install zip. Then go to Install zip from sdcard -> Choose zip from sdcard, go to the archive folder with this program and select it.
After starting the program, you will need to go to the folder /data/system and delete the files 'gesture.key' and 'password.key' (for Android 4.4 or lower) or 'getekeeper.password.key' and 'getekeeper.pattern.key' (for Android 5 or higher)
Restart your smartphone. The block will be removed.

5. Restore access to your smartphone using your Google Account.

After unsuccessful attempts to unlock the phone, Forgot password? will appear on the phone screen. Click on it.
Choose to regain access by entering your Google Account login password.
Remove the screen lock from the settings.

Thomas Nilan
Smartphone Expert

Thomas Nilan is a mobile phone expert with in-depth knowledge of the Android and iOS operating systems, who understands the settings of various hidden features that allow you to expand the capabilities of your smartphone, as well as get information about what is going on inside the phone for future repairs. He is an authority in his field, which has allowed him to become a ghostwriter for several technology publications, and he enjoys writing small mobile applications for testing smartphones.