Recover a device locked by factory reset protection

Environment

• Devices secured by Knox
• Devices running Android 5 or higher
• Knox Mobile Enrollment

Overview

Factory reset protection prevents unwanted users from accessing the device after a factory reset. This security feature requires the device user to sign in with the Google account credentials that were active on the device before the reset was performed.

Factory reset protection is automatically enabled on devices running Android 5 or higher.

If the Google account is not available, and if it was not removed from a company-owned device, it becomes unusable as an enterprise asset. With Knox Mobile Enrollment, IT admins can bypass factory reset protection on Samsung devices to regain access to the device.

How to recover a device locked by factory reset protection

To bypass factory reset protection on a locked device:

1. Ensure the device has been assigned an Android Enterprise or Android Enterprise (Advanced) profile in Knox Mobile Enrollment.
2. Factory reset the device.
3. After the device powers on, select the system language and connect to a Wi-Fi network.

The enrollment proceeds without prompting you to enroll with a Google account.