After 13 months of use, my Android One started failing badly. I took it to a Verizon office and was told that a “hard boot” might fix the glitches; it would wipe out all my data, but since that was backed up by Google, this wouldn’t be a problem. I alerted the Verizon person to the fact that I rarely used my gmail account, and stayed permanently logged on to it, so I did not remember my password. “Oh, we can reset it,” he said blithely. He lied.
A hard boot fixed the phone but I am pretty sure it would be wrong to apply one to the Verizon guy. For no matter times I have filled out relevant Google form it will not allow me to reset the password, and all my contacts, as well as my gmail account, are lost. And so is my patience!
I’m on my second Android phone in going-on-three years, and very happy. Maybe you got a bad unit? Or maybe Verizon sucks? Anyway, hope you get it sorted out!
Why are you on your second Android phone? What happened to the first one?
My main problem at this juncture is with Google, since it is my inability to access my Google account that prevents full functionality of my phone. One forgotten password, that’s all it took to make the phone FUBAR.
I know nothing about how Gmail works with Android. But can you reset your password using the Gmail web interface? https://www.google.com/accounts/recovery
Alternatively, if you’ve got the password saved in your web browser, there’s ways to get that, too.
Bruce, I know you are trying to help, but after spending easily 30 hours over the past week trying to resent my password, all your comment did was make me laugh bitterly. Yes, Google has a “password reset” form. But no matter how carefully I filled it out, I got no reply. When the Verizon guy, assuming I was some kind of idiot, filled it out on my behalf yesterday he did provoke a return e-mail from Google, which stated in pertinent part, and I quote: “Unfortunately, based on the information you provided, we were unable to verify that you own this account. To ensure that we are not compromising the security of the data, we can’t return the account at this time.”
The e-mail then invited me to submit another request, which I did twice more, but got no reply to either.
Hmm. Well I might still be 5 steps behind you, but I wonder what email account the password resets are going to.
Have tried to send the resets to three different accounts, and checked the spam files of each faithfully. I know my tale of woe is hard to believe, but it is true and I am not alone, either.
Blame the moron at Verizon. If he knew what he was doing, he would have helped you reset your password *before* resetting the phone, while you still had access to the account.
Ann, I share your pain. I have had similar issues with my new Android and so did a colleague of mine when she got hers. Now, I wish I had invested in an iPhone, but they don’t have the pull-out keyboards that the Androids do.
Scott, fair enough, he didn’t realize that a Google password was near impossible to reset. I am the real moron for forgetting my password, but given that Verizon can confirm that I am me in person, with my driver’s license, passport, whatever else Google wants (I’d give them a frakking tissue sample if that would restore my phone functionality) I blame Google for sustaining the situation I am in.
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