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Bypass Privacy Protection Password on Android Have the Original SIM Card? Turn Off Anti-Theft Services vs Disable SIM Lock vs Using Default Password Combinations ... and 4 more

Edited by Chris Stipe, Eng, Maria Quinney, patrico and 20 others

7 Methods:

Have the Original SIM Card? Turn Off Anti-Theft Services

Disable SIM Lock

Using Default Password Combinations

Clear Privacy Protection Password Using Miracle Box

Flash Stock ROM/Firmware Using SP Flash Tool

Using Emergency Contact (If Setup)

No Luck Yet? Contact Your Mobile Carrier

In this guide, we are going to look at the different methods to bypass privacy protection on Android phones. However, if you find the first method doesn't work, continue trying the other methods I have provided until you find one that works for your device.

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What is Privacy Protection You Ask?

This is a built-in security feature that was added to most Android devices running Android OS 4.3 Jelly Bean to 6.0 Marshmallow. Such devices included Huawei, Samsung, etc. It was designed to eliminate any unauthorized user from accessing and using the device without the required pin. Of course, this security feature would only take effect if it was enabled.

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Why Do You See The Following Screen?

If you see the screen, "Please enter the privacy protection password", unfortunately, there are limited options you have to bypass this screen. For those that do get this screen, it usually means that the SIM card that was originally in the device was set up with a mobile anti-theft password. This can happen if a new SIM card has been inserted into your device.

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What to Do If You See the Privacy Protect Password Screen

If that is the case, it is recommended that you contact your mobile carrier first to see if they can reset your phone for you, however, you may be able to manually reset and bypass the privacy protection by following one of the methods below. Remember, continue trying each method if one of them doesn't work for you until you find one that does.

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Method 1: Have the Original SIM Card? Turn Off Anti-Theft Services

That's right. In case your phone is locked and you see please enter your privacy protection password screen, there still is a chance that you can easily remove this screen. However, this method will only work if you still have the original SIM card for the device in question. If you do, you won't have to follow the methods below to bypass the privacy protection password lock screen.

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1
If you know the password you used, enter it now, if not;

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2
Power off your phone and reinsert the original SIM card that you had for your phone.

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3
Power on your phone.
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4
Once your phone boots up, open the "Settings" app to get to your device's settings screen.

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5
Locate and tap on "Security".
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Look for "Mobile Anti-Theft" or "Anti-Theft Services" and either click the check mark off or the switch from "On" to "Off"
.
There might be slight varying differences on the set up of the screen depending on your device.

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7
Now that you have turned it off, you are done
.
You can power down the phone now, swap out the SIM card with the new one and turn your phone back on. Say goodbye to the privacy protection password lock screen.
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Method 2: Disable SIM Lock

You also may see the enter privacy protection password to unlock screen with a different SIM card inserted if the SIM Lock option is turned on, but not to worry if you have the original SIM card and remember the PIN, you can easily turn this option off before using a different SIM card in your phone. If you don't have the two mentioned things, you will need to proceed on to the next methods to bypass the privacy protection password on your Android phone.

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1
Power off your phone and reinsert the original SIM card.

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2
Power on your phone.
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3
once your phone boots up, go to your device's settings screen via the "Settings" app.
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4
Locate and tap on "Security"
.

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5
Tap on "Set up SIM card lock"
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6
If this option is set to ON, the slider will be green, tap on the slider to turn it OFF
.
Alternatively, depending on your Android device, this option might have an ON and OFF button, tap on the OFF side, to turn off the SIM unlock.

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7
If prompted for the PIN to turn this option off, enter the PIN and tap on OK.
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The SIM Lock will now be deactivated and you can reinsert a different SIM card.

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Method 3: Using Default Password Combinations

Using Default Password Combinations 82952.jpg

Don't remember setting up a privacy protection password? There might be a chance then that it came from the manufacturer with the privacy protection password security feature enabled by default. Try default passwords like:

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1
0000, 123456, 1234 or 000000 when asked to enter the password at the privacy protection screen.

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You can tap on "Forgot Password", and sign in with your Google Account information (if you remember your information)

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Alternatively, if there is a chance that you set the password but don't remember, check out method #4 or try a few number combinations first that might be significant to you, like the date of a significant event (1982/04/05)*without the slash, just the numbers.

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If none of these options work above, you will need to move on to method 4 to continue.

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Contents

1 Requirements for Below Methods
2 Download SP Flash Tool
3 Download Stock ROM/Firmware
4 Reset Your Phone's Partition
5 Help! My IMEI got corrupted
6 Commands an Emergency Contact Can Use
7 Questions and Answers
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8 Comments

Requirements for Below Methods

A PC Computer (Desktop or Laptop)
A USB Cable
The locked Android device

Please note that in order to perform the various methods listed below, you will need a PC computer. Also, by using any of these flashing tools will void your phone's warranty.

Method 4: Clear Privacy Protection Password Using Miracle Box

The benefit of using Miracle Box is that you can bypass the "Please enter the privacy protection password to unlock" screen without having to flash your phone's stock ROM/firmware file. However, if this method does not work for you, you will have to follow the next method, which will require you to flash your phone's stock ROM/firmware file using SP Flashtools.

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1
Download Miracle Box from this download link.
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2
Download the Miracle Box drivers from this download link.
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3
Locate and double-click to the Miracle Box Drivers that you downloaded in the link above to install them
.
Your downloads will usually be located in the "Downloads" folder unless you specified a location.
1. Left-click on the circle beside "I agree" and then left-click on the "Next" button.
2. From here you have the various options to choose, depending on your device.
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4
Locate the Miracle Box download that you downloaded from the link above, and double-click on the .EXE file
.
It should be located in your "Downloads" folder unless you specified a specific location.
1. Left-click on the "Next" button.
2. Left-click on the box beside "I accept the terms of the license agreement" and then left-click on "Next".
3. Wait for the installation process to complete.
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5
Left-Click on the "Finish" button when the process is complete, to launch the Miracle Box application.
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Once the application loads up, left-click on the MTK tab.

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Left-click on Unlock/Fix tab.
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Left-click on the tick beside "Clear anti-theft".

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Left-click on the drop-down menu box and select your chipset MT****.
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Left-click on the "Start" button.
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Now, make sure your phone is turned off, by either holding down the "Power" button or taking off the back cover and pulling the battery out.
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With your phone off, and the battery back in, connect your phone to your PC via the USB cable.
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13
Press the "Power" button once (ensuring that your device is detected right away), DO NOT hold down the power button or your phone will boot up normally.
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14
Now wait for the process to complete and you get the message "..Done
.
(probably a wait of a few minutes until the device is switched)"
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15
Disconnect your phone from your PC, and power on your phone
.

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16
If this method didn't work for you, proceed on to flashing a stock ROM/firmware using the SP Flash Tool method.
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Method 5: Flash Stock ROM/Firmware Using SP Flash Tool

If the Miracle Box method did not work for you; unfortunately, you will need to flash the stock ROM/firmware for your phone using SP Flash Tool application.

Please note that by using this method, you will void your phone's warranty and will also lose all the current data on your phone (i.e. pictures, downloads, etc.)

You will also need to download the correct firmware file for your phone. Downloading the incorrect firmware will brick your phone!!!

Download SP Flash Tool

1
Go to SP Flash Tool's Official Website.
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2
Just underneath the screenshot image on the website, locate and click on the blue "Windows" button (as we are using Windows in this guide) to prompt the SP Flash Tool download file
.
- Click on the "Okay" button (or "Save" option depending on the web browser you are using.
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3
Wait for your download to finish (this will vary depending on your internet connection).
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4
Now we need to navigate to the file you just downloaded
.
We need to do this to be able to extract the contents of the ZIP file.
1. This will usually be in your "Downloads" folder unless you have specified a different location.
2. For Windows 10 this location is C:\Users\[User Name]\Downloads. *User Name is the name you use on your computer, Admin, Administrator, your first name, etc.
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5
Once you locate the downloaded file, right-click on it and click "Extract"
.
Most computers have a built-in program to extract files.
- If for some reason your computer doesn't, there are many free programs you can download to get the job done. These free choices for Windows include 7-Zip and WinZip.
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6
Now that we have downloaded and extracted SP Flash Tool, it's time to move on to downloading the stock ROM/firmware for your device.

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Download Stock ROM/Firmware

1
Open your preferred web browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
.
In this tutorial, I'm using Firefox.
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2
Go to your desired search engine (Google.com, Google.ca, bing.com, etc.)
.
Google is my preferred choice. When you first got your Android device, it would have come shipped with stock firmware on it already, which would be the factory-issued phone settings, etc. The first step to being able to bypass the privacy protection password on Android would be to download that specific firmware from a trustworthy third-party site so that you can re-install in on your phone.
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3
In the search box, type in your device and model + stock firmware, like the following; "Samsung Galaxy S4 Stock Firmware"
.
1. I am only using Samsung Galaxy S4 as the example. Replace Samsung Galaxy S4, with your specific device model.
2. Since you are looking for a carrier-specific firmware file for your phone and if you are having trouble finding it; add your carrier name to the end of that search to get more specific results. Search results will, of course, vary depending on the carrier information and your phone's information.
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4
Choose a reputable source to download your phone's firmware file from
.
In this instance, for the Samsung Galaxy S4 (and other Samsung devices), Galaxys4root or SamMobile would be a reputable source to download firmware files.
- For other Android phone firmware files, Android Flash File is also highly recommended.
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5
Download the firmware you need for your phone
.
The process from site to site might slightly vary, but the majority should download your firmware as a .ZIP file.
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6
Locate the firmware file that you just downloaded
.
You will need to do so to extract its contents.
- Your file should be in the "Downloads" folder unless you changed the location.
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7
Right-click on the firmware file and click on the "Extract Files" option
.
- To make it easier, we recommend extracting the firmware files to the same spot you extracted SP Flash Tool (i.e. your desktop, etc.)
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8
You are now ready to move on to resetting your phone's stock firmware.

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Reset Your Phone's Partition

1
First, we will need to now go to the SP Flash Tool folder that you extracted from the download in the previous part
.
It is possible that opening another folder inside this one may be required to find the Flash Tool application.
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2
Double-tap on the "Flash_tool" application to open it
.
You will need not worry about installing anything as this application runs from within its extracted folder.
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3
You should see the following screen
.
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4
Next, you will want to click on the "Scatter-loading" button on the far right side of the application's interface right below the "Download agent" button
.

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5
Clicking this button will open up a search window in which you will need to find the firmware file you downloaded in the steps before
.
That is why we suggested you extract it to the same folder.
- Depending on the stock firmware file you download and extracted from the previous section, it might be like this.
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6
Double-click on the firmware file you downloaded previously to open it
.
You may have to click through one or two different folders to find the stock firmware file which will be in a .txt document (also known as "notepad" or "text").

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7
Click on the firmware text file, then the "Open" button
.
This will load your stock firmware into the Flash Tool program.
- If you can't find your firmware's text file, you may need to download a different version of your phone's stock firmware.
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8
Click on the "Download Only" menu below, which is located above the Name and Begin Address area
.

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9
Click on the "Format All + Download" option
.
This will ensure that once we connect your phone, the stock firmware is properly assimilated.
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10
To begin the process, click on the "Download" button
.
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11
If your phone isn't powered down yet, do so now, and also remove the battery.
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12
With your phone off, connect it your computer via the USB cable
.
The larger end will plug into your computer, while the small end should plug into your phone.
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13
Wait for your phone to download the firmware file
.
This can take several minutes.
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14
Once the download is complete, disconnect the phone from your computer
.
You will also need to put back the battery at this time.
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15
Power on your phone by pressing the power button for a few seconds
.
Usually, until you see your device manufacturer's logo on the screen. Wait for your device to boot up, this process will vary depending on the device you are performing this process on.
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16
Once your phone boots up you can set up all of your phone's preferences, which include; date and time settings, WiFi preferences, etc
.
Just like the first time you set up your device when you first got it.
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17
You should no longer see a privacy protection password screen.
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Help! My IMEI got corrupted

1
We are working on a how-to guide for this
.
Please check back soon.
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Method 6: Using Emergency Contact (If Setup)

Using Emergency Contact If Setup 44606.jpg

Did you forget your privacy protection password? Then chances are you might be in luck. During part of the setup process of this anti-theft feature, there would have been an option to setup a trusted administrator as an emergency contact phone number. Not only would the number that was used in this process have received a text message to confirm they had been added but they would also get one anytime a new SIM card was inserted into the device. This user will also be able to send requests to the device which can allow you to get your protection number.

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How it Works

If you set up an emergency contact during the privacy protection password process, that registered number should receive a text message that your phone has been stolen. You can reply to this message using certain hashtags to get responses back which can be very beneficial to you.

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1
The first purpose for an emergency contact is to be able to send remote control commands.
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2
An emergency contact will also receive an SMS notification anytime a SIM card is changed.
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Commands an Emergency Contact Can Use

There are three commands/hashtags the emergency contact can use, which are:

1
Use the hashtag (#sudoing#) to remotely lock the device.
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2
Use the hashtag (#xiaohui#) to remotely data wipe the device
.
(This will erase the data on the device.)
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3
Use either (#password#) or (#mima#) to fetch the anti-theft PIN and be able to get past the privacy protection password screen.
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Method 7: No Luck Yet? Contact Your Mobile Carrier

If none of the above methods worked for you and as long as you can prove the device in question is yours, you will have to contact your mobile carrier for further assistance.

Questions and Answers

After connecting the phone to download the firmware what am I suppose to see on the phone. All I see is battery charging?

Have privacy protection password on my phone, have followed your steps to download the firmware. Have done all that, clicked on format + download, then download, have plugged via USB but I don't see the firmware downloading, all I see is a battery symbol.

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Depending on the model of your phone, it sounds like you would have to manual boot it into download mode before connecting your USB cable. As there are many various manufacturers and different models have different key combinations to press to boot your phone into recovery, you may have to Google search how to boot (insert phone and model here) into download mode. Alternatively, you can try one of the following combinations to see if it works.

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1
Hold down the Volume Down button and power button together for up to 10 seconds before releasing.
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2
Hold down the Volume Down, Home and Power buttons together for up to 10 seconds.
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See more questions like this: Should I connect my phone while downloading the firmware?

Is there another way to clear this anti-theft without connecting it to a PC aside from the steps above?

My phone just got fixed from its broken USB port when this happened. after replacing it, it is no longer possible for the computer or any device to be connected to the phone. My phone just got fixed from its broken USB port when this happened. after replacing it, it is no longer possible for the computer or any device to be connected to the phone.

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Unfortunately, there is no method currently available to bypass/remove the privacy protection password without connecting it to a computer. Have you tried any of the following steps to see if your phone will be recognized? If not of these steps work for you, please let us know to help you troubleshoot further and fix the issue you are experiencing.

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1
Trying a different USB Cable.
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2
Plugging the USB Cable into a different USB port on the computer you are using.
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3
Uninstalling the USB device drivers for your device and reinstalling them
.
(Rebooting your computer before you reinstall the drivers).
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See more questions like this: My Android device still ask for the pin to turn off anti theft, please what can I do?

Can I get my privacy protection password by that number what was set in my emergency contact list?

Yesterday I removed my one SIM from my mobile after that I see my phone is asking for privacy protection password.

Yes, you most definitely can. All you will need to do is the following:

1
Ask the person who it is, to text your mobile phone number.
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2
For the text message they are sending, have them use either (#password#) or (#mima#) (without the bracket, just the number sign) to fetch the anti-theft PIN and be able to get past the privacy protection password screen.
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See more questions like this: After I removed my SIM card from my itel s12 it has started asking for privacy protection password and I have forgotten it how or what do I do?

I do not have original SIM Card for my Maxwest Astro x4?

After I lost my original SIM Card for my phone the privacy protection password still cannot remove I tried to hard reset that doesn't work. I cannot reset my Maxwest Astro x4 and I don't have the original SIM card for the phone, I have a different SIM card.

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Have you tried any other methods described in the above how-to guide? If you have tried a hard reset and do not have the original SIM card for the phone, you will have to try one of the other above methods or more than one of them to see if you can bypass the privacy protection password.

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See more questions like this: Its only allowing me to put the SIM card pin which I did but it doest allow me to go to the next stage?

How to reset Maxwest Astro x4 with privacy protection password?

I do not have original SIM Card for my Maxwest and cannot reset or Hard reset, I brought the phone into GCI Store and they cannot help reset my Maxwest Astro x4. We tried resetting Maxwest with hard reset and factory reset, I have no access to a software reset. I need help to reset my Maxwest Astro x4. I have tried: I tried to Factory reset and Hard reset. I have no access to do a software reset. I think it was caused by: I took out original SIM Card for my Maxwest Astro x4 and I lost my original SIM card. After turning the phone on it had a Privacy Protection Password. I did not set up a Privacy Protection Password.

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Unfortunately, performing a software reset is your only option. Which in order to do that, you will need access to a PC, your device and a USB cable to connect the device to the computer. The MiracleBox method will work for you. If you can't get access to a computer to perform a software flash/reset of your device, you will have to find a local cell phone repair shop that can perform the software flash on your device.

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See more questions like this: Forgotten Tecno j7 privacy protection password. how can I reset this to the factory defaults please?

I have got only two options, enter password or emergency call, how to access settings?

S Panasonic Eluga pulse x ,marshmallow Android 6. There is no service center in the whole state, please help me out.And I have got my original SIM card. The article says that we have to insert our original SIM and go to phone settings before closing anti-theft access, but my phone doesn't show any options other than entering password and emergency calls.My doubt is how to/where to go for phone settings??

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There is not a lot of information regarding bypassing privacy protection on the Sony Panasonic Eluga Pulse X. This YouTube Tutorial shows the procedure on another Panasonic device that is worth trying. The password it is requesting, my guess is the Google Account registered on the device. There are numerous other Panasonic YouTube videos and you may need to try more than one. You can also contact Sony Mobile Support.

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See more questions like this: Why can't I see the settings even after turning on my itel s13 device?

My phone is CMX model: One ME, Android GPS/WIFI VCDMA/GSM cell phone?

I did a factory reset and it's now asking for privacy protection password which I don't have . what can I do?