Sunday, September 23, 2012

SOLVED: Android Google / Gmail account password reset

[Updated 11 August, 2013]

Not all Android devices provide simple ways to update your Google password, especially if it's your primary account (the one you used when you first configured your device). The Samsung Galaxy series of tablets, for example, provides many options for customizing accounts but seems to hide how to change your password. Some suggestions we found seemed to cause us more trouble and did not resolve the problem. Here is the one that worked for us.

Before following our steps below, check that your Settings are correctly set to sync data. Of course, you would find this under Accounts. If it looks like it's out of sync, try to initiate a sync. That may be all you need to do to fix your password. If not, try this.

1. Launch Gmail and wait for a message to appear.
2. If the message is a prompt for your new password, you're probably good to go (see Note 1 below).
3. If the message is a 'No Connection [ Retry ]' or a timeout, check your Notifications. You're looking for an entry regarding a failed login. Tap this and you'll get the password prompt you've been aching to see.
4. If those don't work, try Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > [ Clear Data ]. Do a PowerOff/PowerOn restart. Launch Gmail. Check your Notifications for a failed login entry. Tap on it and enter your new password.
5. We've seen a couple of instances where the new password didn't work. In this case, we changed the password again and were able to get in with the newest password. It's never happened twice in one session, thankfully.


ALSO TRY:
Change your password using a PC browser, which should force the prompt for your new password from your phone.

If you still can't change your password, you may need to do a Factory Reset.
!!! PAY ATTENTION !!! Make sure you have a good backup before you do this one, as it will wipe all your custom settings and personal data.

NOTE:
If you haven't already set an alternate way to get into your Google account, now's a good time to do it.

7 comments:

  1. does factory reset wipes all contacts in phone/sim?

    ReplyDelete
  2. you can do it even without your factory reset:

    Since your Gmail app will not ask you for the new password after you changed it in the web browser in your computer and also you can't typr it in the seetings button of Gmail app there is a small trick that you can do to solve the situation:

    Just click "Play Store" button in your menu. It will detect that your password has been changed and prompt you for new password (which you changed on computer before). After you type in the new password, the password will also be changed on your Android Gmail app as well.

    Good luck and be brave to search for the solutions by your self. This is the best way that you are going to learn.

    Andrija Bednarik

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Worked great! Thanks.

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    2. No use if you have more than ONE gmail account on your phone

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  3. Yes it does from the phone (not from the sim), but your Google account can sync it back to the phone if you have enabled contacts sync.

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  4. I changed my gmail pw on pc, then my phone cannot "sync">
    Then I take the route "Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > [ Clear Data ]" --- even without power off/on, gmail allowed to to input my new pw....THANKS!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks Andrija :-) Worked on my Samsung Ace 2

    ReplyDelete