How to Unlock an Android Phone with broken screen

There are 5 different ways that work to unlock an android phone with a broken screen. Whether you use Android Debug Bridge, Android device manager or even third party apps, the key is in finding which method would work for you. These methods are quite simple and can be easily executed.

If you are wondering how to unlock phone with broken screen, you should know all the different alternatives that you might have. You may also need to know that there are lists of tools that you will require to unlock your phone successfully. Some of these tools are: a USD cable, PC and an OTG adapter. 

The known ways to unlock an android phone with a broken screen is to use an Android Debug Bridge, or a USB Mouse and the On the Go Adapter, or using your Samsung Account, or using the Android Device Manager, or by using Third-Party Apps. These methods usually require connecting your device to a Windows computer. Some methods will only work if USB debugging was previously turned on. Keep reading to find the method that will work for your specific situation. 

1. Using Android Debug Bridge on a PC 

If your Android phone screen has cracked, it will be impossible to unlock your Android device without using other tools. If you had previously turned on the USB debugging option on your mobile device, you can access your phone from your PC. This is a safe way to unlock your phone and will not result in any data loss.

Here is the list of steps on how to unlock an Android phone with a broken or cracked screen from your PC using the Android Debug Bridge: 

1. First, you need to download the Android SDK package on your PC. Once you have installed and launched the app, open the command prompt. You can do this using: Ctrl+R > type cmd > Enter. This changes the directory where the ADB file is located.
2. Next, using a USB cable, connect your Android phone to your PC and in command prompt, enter the command: “abd device”. This allows your device to be detected, after which some numbers would appear in the Command Prompt.
3. Finally, in your command prompt, type in a second command: “shell input text 1234”. The “1234” here however, should be replaced with your Android Password.
4. Your Android phone screen has now become unlocked successfully allowing you to access the device. 

2. Using a USB Mouse and the On the Go Adapter

It is possible to use the On the Go adapter and a USB mouse to unlock your Android phone with a broken screen even if USB debugging is not turned on. You will require a USB mouse, an OTG adapter and your Android device. First you should verify if your Android phone is compatible with the USB mouse. Using a USB mouse to unlock your Android phone is a very safe method and will also allow you to navigate to retrieve any wanted files on your phone.

Here are the steps you should take to unlock your Android phone using the OTG adapter and USB mouse:

1. Connect the smaller USB part of the OTG adapter to your mobile device and the other part to the mouse.
2. Once this is done, a pointer should be visible on your screen.  It is now possible to navigate through the password or passcode for your mobile device using this. Use the mouse to type in your passcode and click “OK”
3. Your Android phone screen has now become unlocked successfully allowing you to access the device. 

3. Using your Samsung Account

If your Android phone is from Samsung then it is possible to unlock your Android phone with  a broken screen using your Samsung Account. Depending on whether your touch screen is still semi functional this can help you to access your phone’s data. The major challenge people face with this method is if their Samsung account is not registered on their device. If that is the case, then this method cannot be used.

Here are the steps to unlock your Android device with a broken screen by using your Samsung account:

1. First, go to: https://findmymobile.samsung.com/login.do  on your PC and log in with your account details.
2. Then, select your mobile device from the screen that pops up. When you have done this, you should see an option on the sidebar that reads “Unlock my Screen”.
3. Clicking on it should bring up a list of instructions for unlocking your device.

4. Unlock Broken Android Screen With Android Device Manager. 

The Android device manager can be used to unlock a phone with a broken screen. Android Device Manager can access your mobile device as your Android phone is linked to your Google account. This method is similar to the Samsung Account method except for that it works for all Android phones provided that you have an Android account that is already logged in on your phone. The benefit of using the Android device manager method is that this method not only erases your lock screen feature, but it wipes off the entire data from your Android phone. You should only use this if the data stored on your phone are of little or no importance or if you have made an external backup recently to recover what you will lose.

To Unlock an Android Device using the Android Device Manager simply follow these steps:

1. On your PC, visit http://www.googgle.com/android/find and sign in with the Google account that has been logged in already on your android phone.
2. Google brings up all the devices that are linked with the account that you have signed in with. You can then select your device.
3. Once you have selected your Android device from the Google drop down list, a window pops up. You may select the Erase option from there.
4. After this, a message would be sent to you to confirm your selection. Once you confirm this, your lock screen feature would be erased.

5. Unlock Android Device With Broken Screen Using Third-Party Apps

Third-party apps have been proven to work to remove the lock on Android devices with broken screens provided you had USB debugging turned on. If USB debugging is turned off then you can skip this section as these methods will not work for you and may end up costing you money for nothing. 

A few third-party apps found in the Google Play store can help you regain access to your phone when the screen is broken. However, you may need another mobile device, a PC and a USB cable to navigate through this. Despite the options available for this they may not all work for your specific situation.

The third-party apps that claim to be able to unlock an Android phone with a broken screen are the  Android Lock Screen removal software by Dr.Fone, the Vysor app, and the Android Unlocker software by Tenoshare.   The Vysor method requires the use of their Vysor chrome extension. While Both the Dr.Fone tool and Tenoshare tools require you to download their software on your computer.  All these apps will not work if USB debugging has not already been enabled on your phone. These tools are only worth trying if you are sure USB debugging is enabled and you have exhausted all the other options. 

What is the Best Software to Unlock Android Phone with Broken Screen?

The best software to unlock an android phone with a broken screen is the Vysor app because it can be downloaded from a trusted store and it is simple to use and doesn’t require you to download any third party software to your computer besides the official chrome extension. 

The choices of third-party software to unlock Android Phone with Broken Screen are: the Vysor app with chrome extension, Dr.Fone’s Android Lock Screen removal software, and Tenoshare’s Android Unlocker software. It should be noted these software will only work if USB debugging is already enabled on your android phone. 

The top 3 third-party tools to unlock your Android phone with a broken screen are listed below:

• Vysor App and chrome extension: The Vysor app can be downloaded from the Google Play store and the Vysor chrome extension from the chrome web store. Being available on official channels it is considered trusted and safe otherwise they would have been removed from the Play store and Chrome store.  To use this method you need the downloaded on a different android phone. It should be downloaded on your phone and on your computer using the same Google account.  Once you connect your phone to the PC and open the Vyser chrome extension tap on find devices. From the list, select the phone that has the cracked screen. Once connected you can use your computer’s mouse and keyboard keys such as Escape, F1, Home, left mouse click, right mouse click to navigate on your phone and unlock the screen.

• Dr.Fone’s Android Lock Screen removal software: Dr.Fone Screen Unlock is an application software designed for the purpose of connecting users to their Android phone in cases where they are unable to gain access from their device. It bypasses the lock security and gives the user access to the mobile device. It is so effective and results in no data loss for the user. Here are steps to unlock a windows phone with broken screen:  1) Download and Launch the Dr.Fone Screen Lock app. 2) Connect your mobile device to your PC using a USB cable. 3) Select the correct model for your Android device. 4) Put the Android phone in a download mode. 5) Finally, download the Recovery Package and once it is complete, select the remove now option. 6) Your Android mobile device is now unlocked and ready to use. Dr.Fone’s software is considered a less safe alternative as it is a third-party tool and not verified by any official store, so you are trusting it based solely on their word and reputation.

• Tenorshare Android Unlocker software: The Tenorshare Android Unlocker software allows you to unlock your Android device with a broken screen. It unlocks Patterns, Pins, Face and Fingerprint locks from Windows or Mac. You will need a USB and a PC to begin the unlocking process. The unlocking process is as follows: 1) Download and Launch software. From the app, toggle on the “Remove Screen Lock” option. 2) Connect your broken Android device to your PC with a USB cable. 3) Once your phone has been detected, click on the Start button to begin the unlocking process. 4) A message will pop up saying, “Removing  the lock screen password will erase all data on the device”, and on confirmation, Tenorshare 4uKey for Android will begin to remove the lock on the screen. Tenoshare software is considered a less safe alternative as it is a third-party tool and not verified by any official store, so you are trusting it based solely on their word and reputation.

 Is It Safe to Use Software to Unlock a Phone? 

Yes unlocking a phone using software is considered safe however it should be done with caution as there are certain risks involved.  While it may seem like a risk exposing sensitive information to unknowing software clients, software are perhaps the easiest way to quickly recover access to your device without much stress. Most of the stress of following the steps listed above for the different phone unlocking methods would be completely alleviated. It would however require that you download this software and install it. The first concern when downloading any software to your computer  is that it may contain malware, trojans or adware. If the software or app is found on an official store then they would be responsible for checking it for any malware. When downloading software from a third party website, you should always scan it using a antivirus tool and then leave it to your discretion if you have enough confidence to trust the publishers or not. Reading consumer reports and online reviews can help you decide.

 The second concern when using software and connecting your phone to your computer is that when running the software there is always a chance that you may permanently damage or brick your phone. Even if the software is legit, due to a power surge or power outages, accidentally unplugging your phone while the firmware on your phone is being re-written or flashed can cause permanent damage to your phone. These are risks that we take when using such tools. To prevent this, you can have your phone repaired from the manufacturer. At the very least when tampering with your phone you should have a surge protector and a battery backup on your computer and also keep the USB cord in such a way that you can’t accidentally unplug it during the process. If you follow these recommendations than using software to unlock a phone is relatively safe.

Can You Restore the Data from Phone with Broken Screen?

Yes, data from a phone with a broken screen can be restored.  There are three common scenarios for restoring data from a phone with a broken screen.  The first is if you have an SD card installed, the second is if you have USB debugging turned on already and the third is if you have no SSD card and no USB debugging.

For starters, any data which was saved on your external SD card is completely recoverable. Simply remove the SD card from your Android phone and either place it in another Android device or use an adapter and connect the SD card directly to your PC.

If you do not have an external SD card and still want to recover or restore the data then you can use many of the previous methods mentioned for unlocking your phone with a broken screen to also restore or recover your data from any phone. Once your phone is unlocked you can download any files that you wish to keep directly to your computer.

The second scenario is if you have USB debugging enabled you can connect your Android phone to your computer, unlock it using the ways we have mentioned, then navigate to your phone’s storage folder and copy and paste the files to your PC’s hard drive.

The third scenario is if you do not have an SD card installed and USB debugging if turned OFF. In this case you can recover the data from your broken Android phone using an OTG USB Cable and a mouse. Connect the smaller USB side of the OTG cable to your Android phone and the other part to the mouse. Use the mouse to navigate through the Android device and connect your Android device to a WIFI network or turn on its Bluetooth. You can now transfer your files from your mobile device to a different device or to the cloud as the case may be.

In addition to this, there are the  third-party softwares mentioned in this article which also offer Android data recovery options allowing you to restore data from your  phone. These apps are simpler to navigate and can save you a lot of stress. You may need to download and install the applications first before you can begin to recover your files from your Android phone.