Sold Android phone - buyer now needs my login to activate???

Question

I just sold my LG G5 phone on eBay for spares, as the touchscreen was damaged and could not be used. I used the remote wipe feature on my Google account to remove my details from the phone.
The person who bought the phone is now being asked to provide login details of a Google account which was previously synced with the phone, so has asked me to provide my account name and password. Obviously I'm not keen to handover my credentials, even if it's only for a few minutes before I change my password again.
Is there any way around this - i.e. any way that the buyer can get into the phone without me having to give him my login credentials?

James Watson · Answer

Tell him to try a factory reset + wipe cache.

Ian Manning · Answer

He couldn't get to the factory reset option without first entering valid account details for a previously-synced account on that phone. Looks like a (relatively) new security feature that's been introduced on Android :0(

Lindsay mcdaniel · Answer

Do not give him your login credentials! He can use them to retrieve all of your personal info.
He dosen't need them to use your old phone for spares.
You should have done a factory reset before you sold your phone.
The only way to fix this is to retrieve that phone and delete your personal info yourself!
Personally,  I would never sell one of my old phones to anybody!
 I would Just destroy the phone!

Ian Manning · Answer

It wasn't possible to do a factory reset before I sold the phone as the touchscreen was completely non-functional. I assumed (incorrectly) that wiping the phone using the Google Device Manager would be the best solution, but I now know that not to be the case! He's using the motherboard to replace his own (water-damaged) motherboard, so effectively he's transplanting my old phone's guts into his phone's body. Hence the issue. He paid £45 for the phone, which is not an amount that I would have been happy to write off.

James Watson · Answer

I just had a study.

Every device running Android 5.0 Lollipop or later has Factory Reset Protection (FRP) turned on by default. What this means is that you will be prompted to enter the username and password for your Google account, even after performing a factory reset.

So, you should have removed your Google account from that phone prior to selling it. Now maybe you have to have him send the phone to you, then you remove the account, at last you send the phone back.

Ian Manning · Answer

Google seems to have overlooked the fact that if the touchscreen isn't working it isn't actually possible to remove Google account details from the phone. I thought (incorrectly) that was the purpose of the remote wipe facility in my Google Device Manager.

Lindsay mcdaniel · Answer

Do not give him your login credentials! He can use them to retrieve all of your personal info.
He dosen't need them to use your old phone for spares.
You should have done a factory reset before you sold your phone.
The only way to fix this is to retrieve that phone and delete your personal info your yourself!
Personally,  I would never sell one of my old phones to anybody!
 I would Just destroy the phone!

Chad_Higgins · Answer

You can have him send you the phone back. Put in your info. Then remove your Google account from phone! Which you should have done before selling it. Then factory data reset. When he goes to start menu it will now say enter a Google account. Not we need the previous owners account to open the phone. Do you understand? He has a Google locked phone. You sold him. You have to unlock it!

James Watson · Answer

I fully agree with Chad_Higgins. (smug)

Ian Manning · Answer

Sending the phone back isn't a great option as the buyer lives in Spain (I sold the phone on eBay) :0(

Lindsay mcdaniel · Answer

Again: giving this person in Spain your loggin credentials would set you up for identy theft!
Don't do it!

averydxf@gmail.com · Answer

yes, .need active it.

onepeople · Answer

> [[cite averydxf@gmail.com]]
>
> yes, .need active it.

one more time

Ian Manning · Answer

In the end I arranged a Whatsapp chat with him while he used my password to unlock the phone, then I changed my password immediately.

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Sold Android phone - buyer now needs my login to activate???