How to Enable Factory Reset Protection

FRP is a new innovation launched by Google in 2015 to help phone users have greater protection over their data.

Normally, what Thief's do when they get hold of your phone is to immediately factory reset your phone, but this is no longer possible with Google's FRP,

They would require the password of the Email you signed your phone with before they can factory reset, rendering your phone useless to the them.

What is Factory Reset Protection

As mentioned earlier it is a security feature on Android phones running on Lollipop 5.1 and above which helps your phone against any unauthorized factory resetting.

There is actually no button to turn on factory reset but there is a process you need to follow in other to activate it.

Activating factory reset protection on your device, although not completely secure, is essential for protecting your data as well as your device from thieves and hackers.

Follow the steps below to enable factory reset protection on your smartphone and tablet:

Step 1:

If your device is new or it’s your first time using the phone, sign in with your Google/Samsung (for Samsung users) account.

If you do not have one, you can create an account and sign in with it.

To sign in or add an account

Go to Settings followed by Accounts.
Tap on Add an account and hit “Google”. Then enter the username and password of your account to add the account.

Step 2:

Set a screen lock on your device.

Use a password or pattern.

Do not use the face lock, swipe unlock or none at all.

If you forget your screen lock password or pattern, you can reset it or recover the lock via your Google account.

After setting up these, factory reset protection will be configured automatically. If someone attempts to wipe your device, it will prompt them to input your Google email and password.

Note However, FRP lock, does not kick in when you format the device through device Settings itself as it considers it an authorized attempt to reset the device. Hence, when factory reset is performed through device Settings, you won’t be asked to verify Google account details when the device boots for the first time after reset is done.

So make sure you have your phone secure using pattern, bio-metrics (fingerprints), or password/pin.