Used Android Phone Asking for the Previous Owner’s Google Account? Factory Reset Protection Explained

Factory Reset Protection locks a reset phone to the last Google Account on it. Here’s who can clear it, what service centres ask for, and the two-minute test before you buy.

By the OwnVouch team16 Sep 20267 min read

Why the phone is asking for someone else's account

Factory Reset Protection is Android's anti-theft lock. Google explains it simply: if a protected phone is stolen and erased, only someone with the owner's Google Account or screen lock can use it. Samsung's support pages add that FRP is on Android 5.1 and later, switches on automatically once a Google Account is added, and is turned off if that account is removed before a factory reset.

So the lock follows a very predictable pattern. When a phone is reset without the Google Account being removed first, setup later asks for either:

• the screen lock (PIN, pattern or password) that was on the phone before the reset, or
• the password for a Google Account that was previously added and synced to the phone.

Google is clear that if you can't give this information during setup, you won't be able to use the phone at all. Resetting it again doesn't help. There's also a timing detail worth knowing: Google advises waiting 24 hours after resetting a Google Account password before doing a factory reset, and Samsung's US page mentions a 24-hour cool-down before a new password will unlock the device. If a seller has just changed their password, that delay may explain why it doesn't work immediately.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones

Xiaomi phones can also be locked through Xiaomi's own Find device feature, which is linked to a Xiaomi account (often still called a Mi account). This is separate from Google's FRP, so a Xiaomi phone may ask for a Google Account, a Xiaomi account, or both. Xiaomi's help centre says that to give a phone away, the owner should sign out in Settings under Xiaomi Account, which asks for the account password if Find device is on, and then factory reset. For a phone locked by Find device that can't be unlocked, Xiaomi offers an appeal at i.mi.com/ss, where you submit the items it asks for and wait for a result by email or SMS. It doesn't publish the list of required items on that help page.

What to do if you've already bought it

1. Get the seller to unlock it

This is by far the quickest fix. Contact the seller, explain that the phone is asking for their Google Account after reset, and ask them to do one of the following:

• Meet you and enter their Google Account password (or old screen lock) on the setup screen. Once the phone is set up, they should remove their account in Settings, under Passwords & accounts or similar, and you can then reset it from Settings and set it up as your own.
• Share the old screen lock if they remember it and the phone offers that option. Never ask for or accept their Google password over chat; they should enter it themselves.

If it's a Xiaomi phone asking for a Xiaomi account, the same principle applies: the account holder needs to sign in and turn off Find device.

2. Try the manufacturer's service centre, with realistic expectations

Samsung's support pages tell owners who can't remember their Google Account details to take the phone to an authorised service centre with proof of purchase. Samsung Indonesia goes further and says a service centre will reject requests to remove a screen lock or FRP without proof of ownership, such as an invoice showing the buyer's name and the device's serial number or IMEI, plus personal ID.

That's the problem for second-hand buyers: your proof is usually a chat and a payment, not an invoice in your name. If the seller handed over the original bill, take it along with your own records. Policies differ by brand and by country, so ask the service centre directly before assuming either way.

3. Ask for a refund

A phone you can't set up has little value. Ask for a refund in writing, keep screenshots of the listing and chats, and report the listing to the platform. If you bought from a shop or dealer and they refuse, you can register a grievance with the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 or at consumerhelpline.gov.in.

4. Consider whether it's stolen

A seller who disappears after selling a locked phone is a red flag. Check the IMEI with the Know Your Mobile service on Sanchar Saathi (SMS KYM and the 15-digit IMEI to 14422). Our guide on checking whether a second-hand phone is stolen in India explains the results and their limits. If you believe you've been sold stolen property, consider going to the police with your records, and talk to a lawyer if the stakes are high.

What won't work

You'll find plenty of paid "FRP removal" services and tools online. We don't link to or describe them. They aren't an official route, and on a phone that may be stolen they don't change the underlying problem. The legitimate options are the account holder, or the manufacturer with acceptable proof.

How to check before you buy

FRP only bites after a reset, which is why many buyers don't notice until they get home. Test for it while the seller is still in front of you:

1. Ask the seller to remove their Google Account first. In Settings, under Passwords & accounts (Google notes the name varies by device), they should remove every Google Account. Google notes that removing the only account on a phone asks for the phone's PIN, pattern or password. On Xiaomi phones, they should also sign out of the Xiaomi account.
2. Have them factory reset from Settings. Samsung says that to reset without triggering the protection, you need to do it through Settings.
3. Go through setup yourself with internet access. Connect to Wi-Fi or mobile data and continue past the account step. If it asks to verify a previously synced account, stop. If it lets you sign in with your own Google Account as normal, FRP is clear.
4. Check the IMEI. Dial *#06#, compare it with the box and bill, and run the KYM check.

If a seller refuses to reset the phone in front of you, or says it's already reset and "just needs your account", treat that as a reason to walk away.

If you're selling

Save your buyer this trouble: remove your Google Account (and any Xiaomi or Samsung account) from Settings, then reset from Settings. Our checklist before selling a phone or Mac has the full steps, and the iPhone equivalent of this problem is covered in iPhone locked to its previous owner.

Where OwnVouch fits

OwnVouch can't remove FRP or a Xiaomi account lock, and it can't make a service centre accept your paperwork. Only the account holder or the manufacturer can do that.

What it can do is add a check before you pay. The free public lookup shows whether a serial or IMEI is registered, whether it's flagged lost or stolen and what the device is, without revealing who holds it. A clean result isn't proof a phone isn't stolen, since registries only know what's reported. In the OwnVouch app, now in closed beta, seller and buyer can both confirm a handover on their own phones, leaving a timestamped record that can help as evidence later. You can request a beta place.

Sources

1. Google Android Help: Help prevent others from using your device without permission
2. Google Android Help: Reset your Android device to factory settings
3. Google Android Help: Add or remove an account on Android
4. Samsung New Zealand: What is Google FRP?
5. Samsung US: Google Device Protection on your Galaxy phone or tablet
6. Samsung Indonesia: Google FRP notice
7. Xiaomi Account Help Centre: How can I unlock my device by submitting an appeal?
8. Xiaomi Account Help Centre: What should I do if my device is missing or I want to give it away?
9. Department of Telecommunications, CEIR – Sanchar Saathi