MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Aged P has one of these 'things' and they seem totally linked to a Google account. A factory reset was suggested as a means of geeting past some of the Google Play issues that were happening. We did this but it now asks for a Google account email and pw.
We don't have that (it really is used for calls and photos)! We can't therefore get into the phone to use the damn thing. Is there a method of by passing all this Google control?? Pressing the forgot email or forgot password just asks for last password that you used in order to retrive the password that you can't remember (phone nearly got hammered at this stage!).
Any help, or conformation that we're buggered appreciated.
Nope, you have to recover the account you also *had* to use when setting up the phone originally.
It will at some point (when new) been connected to a Google account. I don't think Android phones will function without being signed into an account.
It's basically the first thing that you need to do to get into it.
The phone should work without signing in to a Google account; you can usually skip the sign in page on setup after a reset but you may have to scroll down to find the skip option.  If you want to use any of Google's services  (eg  Play) then you need an account.
steelfreak - can't seem to scroll past anything? Really don't need any of the Google stuff and would be happy to do without - the buggers just seem to have control!!
This seems to be a US site, but might still be relevant here:
https://www.samsung.com/us/support/frp/
Thanks stumpy - that seems to confirm that we are indeed buggered! Off to Samsung with it then.
Its annoying as I saw a google email address when I was playing around with the phone. However, the one that the guy had provided from the EE shop was completely different.
Factory reset and create a new Google account.
Should solve it all
mike - seems it HAS to be the Google Account that was synched with that phone when set up. I simply can't make enough progress into the phone to set up another account.
There must be another reset type option to try. When the phone was first switched on it wouldn't have had a Google account linked with it. Now that it has (done by staff in EE shop) it seems that the phone is pretty much locked unless the email and pw for that account are known.
A factory reset is just that back to day 1 so it holds no other information than how it came from the factory. You should be able to do that from the settings memory
You should be able to do a complete reset by holding down the volume up, home and power buttons when you switch it on. Then that will boot into the recovery menu, which has an option to wipe all data.
craigw - this is what I have been doing. Then it goes into another screen after that and reboot selected. When the phone fires up it goes into the Google sign in page (after agreeing to some licensing nonsense). This is where it asks for the details of a Google account previoulsy used to sync with this phone. We don't know either the email address or pw
Have you tried entering a new Google account
Won't allow me to enter a new one. Keeps coming up wrong email or not recognised etc Entered my own account to try and get in that way but no cigar...
There must be a way...
That doesn't sound like a full reset then.
I think the EE shop set you up with an account when you bought it originally, and you've forgotten the email and password set up for you at the time.
A full factory reset should have a 'create new account' option.
If not, take back to EE shop and ask for help.
Took it back to EE this morning and was met with 'I'm an Apple user, I know nothing about Samsungs'!!
Matt - quite correct that we've forgotten the details of the Google account but no option to set up new account. Buggered, only option is to send off to Samsung with original receipt.
True, we should have known the account details but just shocking way to operate. Now binned EE and on Vodaphone! The phone is a door stop...
To check this is the reset process you have used?
How were you using/sending photos with the phone beforehand?
True, we should have known the account details but just shocking way to operate. Now binned EE and on Vodaphone! The phone is a door stop…
Android is android. Switching networks isn't going to change anything, it's nothing to do with them. I know you've said that you've done a factory reset, but I'm finding it hard to believe that you aren't mistaken somehow. Erasing all data means just that, the phone will have no knowledge of what it was synced to before - otherwise how could you have a second-hand market in Android phones?
I'm surprised that a hard reset has not sorted this. Try again using the method above - you need to reach the drop down menu and delete all the data.
There are various slightly underhand ways of ditching the Google a/c - have a search on youtube. They involve using the disability input settings to bypass the sign-in screen and use browser functions to download apps etc.
A Guide to Using Android Without Selling Your Soul to Google
This suggests that you can just hit skip when it asks for your account. It's not long since I set up my Xz1 Compact, and I'm pretty sure that the skip button is there. There will be disadvantages, but if it's really just phone and pictures (which you download using USB)...
I am with onewheelgood on this one - user error, not Android error. A swap of network will do nothing.
Mike - yes - that's the scenario except numbers 8 & 9. I think we were offered a list where reboot was chosen after the wipe all data was performed. Maybe I shouldn't have taken this option? Although the shop staff did exactly the same.
The point about the network changing I agree with - no difference with that phone. We just needed to get the Aged P on a train with a working phone so we bought a Vodaphone PAYG sim and stuck it in my old S6 for her. That phone was locked to Vodaphone and would have taken a little while to get unlocked to accept her EE sim.
I'll follow the links provided - thanks for those. I agree with user error entirely, but due to not recording the account details rather than not finding a skip option! I do understand what you all mean about that as it was clearly there when the Vodaphone guy set the S6 up with the new sim. So first set up is no problem, re-using the phone after a factory reset = PITA (for the forgetful / or elderly that wouldn't think to save such account deatils - remember it was set up in store for her! Never was she told "Keep these safe").
Matt - on your link its steps 6&7 that cause the problem. Setting up first time I am sure is straightforward, but the device protection thing that they mention there is where my problems started. It seems to be a method to stop people re setting the phone and using it themselves if they have stolen it.
I know its tempting to think 'just press bloody skip' but the option ain't there! I also tried using my own google account details to see if that would get me past this set up stage (the Aged P wouldn't be bothered if messages came to me rather than her). However, "these are not the details registered to this phone" message (or simialr wording).
one wheel - appreciate the effort but your link is for a new set up on a new phone. I simply do not get offered the skip option at the sign in page
Seems to be a J3 issue