Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus users in the United States are reporting the latest software update is locking them out of their phones.
A bug reported by Reddit users and others on Samsung’s support site highlight a persistent bug where users who’ve entered passwords correctly are denied access. Those who don’t have a password cannot get past the lock screen either.
So far, the fixes for the issue aren’t great reading for owners of the devices in question. A Samsung Care Ambassador posted that a factory reset is the only way to overcome the issue (via Android Authority).
The method involves rebooting the phone into recovery mode and selecting factory reset from the limited options available. Of course, a factory reset will wipe all of the data from your phone because users are unable to log into their phone to back up the data soon. As one user on the Samsung forums succinctly put it: “This is not a solution.”
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The problem appears to centre on the carrier updates rolled out for the S10 in July, with S10 owners on both AT&T and Verizon reporting the issue.
It’s not clear how many Galaxy S10 users this issue has been affecting since it first game to light on July 8. The bug doesn’t affect every device that has been updated, and it only appears to be phones in the United States right now.
Samsung also hasn’t officially commented on the issue and whether there is a mother workaround for the problem that avoids the factory reset. Samsung may push out a remote update to all devices that doesn’t require users to login.
The Galaxy S10 has been exceptionally problem-free since its arrival this spring, so it’s surprising to see this issue affecting phones. We’ll update this piece if Samsung gets to the bottom of it.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
