I have an old S7 Edge and want to completely wipe it / reset it before disposing of it or giving it away. But I have forgotten the lock pattern. I think it is on Android 6. After charging it up I cant even shut it down without the lock pattern, so I cannot get in to the recovery screen. It is not listed in Find my Device and I never setup Smart Lock. Any suggestions?
Gee, Ai is helpful. I asked the Windows Copilot and it gave me this:
Hard Reset via Recovery Mode
Power Off the Device:
Since you can’t shut it down normally, try holding the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously for about 10 seconds to force a restart. As soon as the screen goes black, quickly switch to holding the Power, Volume Up, and Home buttons together.
Enter Recovery Mode:
Keep holding the Power, Volume Up, and Home buttons until the Samsung logo appears, then release all buttons. This should bring you to the Android recovery screen.
Perform Factory Reset:
Use the Volume Down button to navigate to “Wipe data/factory reset” and press the Power button to select it. Confirm by selecting “Yes – delete all user data” using the Volume Down button and pressing the Power button.
Reboot System:
Once the reset is complete, select “Reboot system now” using the Power button.
