If you’ve forgotten your Privacy Protection password, you probably can’t access the hidden folder, hidden album, turn on/off child mode, etc on your Xiaomi device. Here is a list of suggestions that let you bypass or reset the password.
i. Reset using your Mi account If you’ve linked (or added) your Mi account to your Privacy Protection password, you’ll see the Forgot Pattern? link on the sign in screen.
Simply click the Forgot Pattern? link and then enter your Mi account password to get a prompt to draw a new pattern.
ii. Use fingerprint If your Xiaomi device comes with a fingerprint sensor, you can use your fingerprints to open the hidden folder, hidden album, turn on/off child mode or even reset the Privacy Protection password. Here’s how:
- If you yet to register a fingerprint, go to your device’s Settings > Lock screen & password > Add fingerprint and follow the on-screen instructions to register your fingerprints.
- When you finish registering, turn on the Privacy password switch.
- Now, you can open the hidden folder, hidden album, turn on/off child mode, etc. without knowing your Privacy Protection password.
- You can also go to the device’s Settings > Lock screen & password > Privacy protection password > (sign in using fingerprint) > Change password > verify using fingerprint and then set a new pattern password.
iii. Factory reset Copy all your files (photos, songs, docs, videos, etc) to your computer and use the built-in Local backup function to backup your phone’s settings, apps and app data. Note: You might want to move the folder of this backup to your computer too.
- Now, you can factory reset your phone with the following steps:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Additional settings > Backup & reset > Factory data reset > Reset phone. Warning: Factory resetting your phone will erase all the settings, files and data on your phone storage.
When you finish resetting, you can restore the backup, copy your files back to your phone, and set a new Privacy Protection password.
iv. Reset Privacy Protection password via ADB command (only for rooted phone)
If your Xiaomi device is rooted, you can reset the Privacy Protection password via ADB command which I’ve learned from a MIUI developer from the Chinese forum.
Here are the general steps on how to do this: (Note: You’ll need to learn how to root your phone, install ADB tool on your computer, and use ADB in Command prompt or Terminal window yourself.)
Warning: Perform this at your own risk. This may void your phone’s warranty. I nor anyone else is responsible if you brick your device.
- On your rooted phone, turn on Debugging on (in Developer options) and connect it to your computer that has the ADB tool.
- In the Command prompt(Windows) or Terminal window(OS x), enter the following commands to reset the Privacy Policy password.
adb shell su settings put secure privacy_password_is_open 0 settings put secure secure access_control_lock_enabled 0 Settings reboot