How do you unlock a missionary phone

I purchased a samsung J7 for my niece for her mission she got sick in the MTC and only stayed 3 weeks. We spent almost $300 for the phone and can’t use it because we were told there is a lock on it, I guess from the church missionary app? How do we get the phone unlocked so we can use it now that she’s back home?

The instructions for missionary tablets are here:
https://missionary.lds.org/content/dam/mportal/missionary/pdfs/mobile-device/Tablets_and_Departing_Missionaries.pdf

I suspect the missionary phones are handled the same way. If she has been home for 10 days, you should probably contact the support team listed in that document.

Has her mission been terminated, or just put on hold? If it's just on hold, that might explain why it's still locked.

I have a similar issue. My daughter came home from the MTC after her first epileptic seizure. The phone (Samsung Note 8) is locked in missionary mode and wont respond to a hard factory reset. I have contacted the IT administrator several times at the missionary department but still no luck. This has been going on for over 5 months. We are trying to sell the phone, but need to get it unlocked first. Any suggestions?

Same issue, this is a serious problem that shouldn't be this difficult to solve. Where are the instructions on how to do this!

Doing a factory reset on a phone even after a missionary returns from completing their mission is a nightmare for parents. If they want to sell the phone and try and recapture some money by selling the phone or have a sibling use the phone it's such a headache that it's almost not worth putting in the time to try and figure it out.

This is so sad because many members can barely make their mission payments and to then be unable to re-coop any money from the phone that they don't even plan on using is sad. Many missionaries are forced into buying expensive bicycles as well when they don't even use them on their mission. WE NEED TO DO BETTER!!! THESE FAITHFUL MEMBERS DESERVE BETTER!

travisstraw wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 1:45 pm Where are the instructions on how to do this!

I would contact the mission office for instructions.

The missionary department doesn't know; they directed me to call 801-240-3500 (GSM?). And so far they don't know either. They are looking into it. I agree there really should be standard/public instructions for doing this. In my case I'm trying to unlock my daughter-in-law's Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablet so she can give it to my daughter for personal use with her kids. It seems the church does some kind of special firmware mods on all phones and tables so they cannot be factory reset. I can think of some reasons why they would want to do this, but cannot think of any reasons why it can't be unlocked/reset somehow, maybe with special instructions.

From ServiceNow article:

The following instructions allow you to perform a factory data reset on your Samsung smartphone. It is critical that you save any data you want to keep prior to completing these steps--if you proceed without backing up data, it will be lost.

• Ensure that you are in a location with Wi-Fi or can connect to cellular data.

• Connect the device to power or have at least 20% battery capacity.

• Backup data or it will be lost – for more information see KB0075554
  • Sync Area Book.
  • Back up WhatsApp – other critical apps?
  • Back up other important information.
    If you backed up any data to a SD card please remove it before you perform the factory data reset, or any files on the microSD card will also be erased.

• Remove All Google and Samsung Accounts see KB0061650.

Important- do not proceed if there is still a Google or Samsung Account for which you do not know the password. You may be locked out of the phone after doing the Factory Data reset. If you need help, please Report a Problem and provide as much detail as possible and include your device's Serial Number.
Perform factory data reset

• Open the device's settings app.

• Select General Management.

• Choose Reset.

• Select Factory data reset and follow any prompts.

Please Note: Mission Presidents will be alerted of devices that are not registered in MaaS360 or have recently been registered in MaaS360.

A video as well:
Church Protections 2.0 Setup Preparation (Removing Accounts and Factory Data Reset)- Video

@james.gurr, I'm unfamiliar with ServiceNow, and when trying the above links I am unable to access them (although I am invited to play "Breakout", always a nice distraction!). Who has access to these articles and videos at ServiceNow?

Also, since you're familiar with these issues, what would you suggest is the proper process for a member who has these types of questions? Per @HerrimanCoder, it doesn't seem like the support personnel that members can access, are aware of the info that you've provided. Is there a different process one should follow with a question like this?

BrianEdwards wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 6:08 pm @james.gurr, I'm unfamiliar with ServiceNow, and when trying the above links I am unable to access them (although I am invited to play "Breakout", always a nice distraction!). Who has access to these articles and videos at ServiceNow?

So ServiceNow is accessible to any missionary serving for guides, tips, and troubleshoot. It's essentially the "help me site" for all missionaries.

BrianEdwards wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 6:08 pm Also, since you're familiar with these issues, what would you suggest is the proper process for a member who has these types of questions? Per @HerrimanCoder, it doesn't seem like the support personnel that members can access, are aware of the info that you've provided. Is there a different process one should follow with a question like this?

I mean the support articles are all you really need. I'm not entirely sure, but I would think Church employees should have access to that. In any case, removing Maas 360 should just requires a factory reset. They might send a code as well, not too sure though.

I have somewhat of a different problem. I'd like to give my Galaxy A32 to a friend who's serving soon, but I've completely forgotten my passcode (alphabetic, not numeric). It'd be nice if I got to unlock my phone and save pictures and such, but I'm not super concerned about that part. Is there a way to reset the phone without the current password available? On two occasions, I've ran through all the passwords it might be, and I'm worried about locking it up for good.

I would check old passwords and see if you can find any luck.

Another option:
I had a companion who was 100% bricked (lost all apps). He couldnt open settings or wifi and needed an update. They way we fixed the issue was by typing the wrong password multiple times until it triggers a reset. This is one way to do it.

For newer phones, I don't think it's possible to reset without the password, or an administrator (in the case of a mission phone) who has access. This is an intentional security feature by smart phone manufacturers to reduce the incentive for people to steal and resell stolen phones (along similar lines, never buy a used smart phone from an untrusted seller without first turning it on and verifying that it's not locked to someone's account).

I'm sorry it has been difficult to find instructions to factory reset your phone. Instructions are sent to each missionary as they approach the completion of their mission and are usually accessible in the link provided above. However, the support site is only accessible to missionaries for a few months after their mission and is not available to the general membership, hence why you are not able to get access.

To make sure you get the help you need, please send the device Serial Number or IMEI number (found on the back of the device) along with the name of the missionary it was intended for to our support team by emailing: missionsupport@churchofjesuschrist.org. In most cases, they should be able to release the device from MaaS360 and or help with the factory reset.

Sincerely,
Richard Brown

I have a trouble in removing MaaS360 l was put on pause my phone is Samsung KB0077048 and l don't have access in using it l have tried to call lT but no luck

We are the office Elders, our mission president just received the approval of maas360 removal, we process the link, only to get the feedback of TGIS PAGE CANNOT BE FOUND NOW, please we request your assistance if there are any procedures need to follow on behalf of the mission president

Chris2002 wrote: Fri Nov 01, 2024 5:50 am we request your assistance if there are any procedures need to follow on behalf of the mission president

To get the help you need you will have to contact technology support for the missionary department.

How can I unblock it

Crentsil wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2024 6:18 am How can I unblock it

I'd suggest following the process outlined in post #14 this thread.

I bought this used sumsung A31 from a local shop in Ghana two months ago and just today find the phone number was a missionary phone and has being locked by the admin. Please i need help in unlocking it because I really need to communicate and send some business doucment to my coworkers my email is [email address removed]

Jakedonkor wrote: Fri Nov 29, 2024 2:04 pm I bought this used sumsung A31 from a local shop in Ghana two months ago and just today find the phone number was a missionary phone and has being locked by the admin. Please i need help in unlocking it

Have you tried doing a factory reset?

To unlock a missionary phone, first check if it’s locked to a specific carrier. Contact the carrier or missionary organization for their unlocking policy and ensure the phone meets eligibility criteria (e.g., fully paid off or past service requirements). Request an unlock code or remote unlocking if needed. Once unlocked, insert a SIM from a different carrier to test. If issues persist, a factory reset might help, but back up your data first.

You likely have a church-owned phone that was not supposed to be resold. If a factory reset does not work to remove the protections (MaaS360), then you will need to go to your nearest mission office, which can be found here https://directory.churchofjesuschrist.org/missionary/

"Missionaries should not travel home with Church-owned phones. Church-owned phones should not be donated or sold after they have been used. After missionaries turn in their smartphones, the mission office should send the phones in batches back to the area administrative office."
https://servicenow.churchofjesuschrist. ... =KB0133465

RyanZim wrote: Tue Dec 03, 2024 11:42 am You likely have a church-owned phone that was not supposed to be resold. If a factory reset does not work to remove the protections (MaaS360), then you will need to go to your nearest mission office, which can be found here https://directory.churchofjesuschrist.org/missionary/

The link is limited to member Church Account holders. Nonmembers cannot access that website.

jdlessley wrote: Tue Dec 03, 2024 6:59 pm

RyanZim wrote: Tue Dec 03, 2024 11:42 am You likely have a church-owned phone that was not supposed to be resold. If a factory reset does not work to remove the protections (MaaS360), then you will need to go to your nearest mission office, which can be found here https://directory.churchofjesuschrist.org/missionary/

The link is limited to member Church Account holders. Nonmembers cannot access that website.

Understood. I (incorrectly) assumed that forum users were inherently Church members.

Jakedonkor wrote: Fri Nov 29, 2024 2:04 pm I bought this used sumsung A31 from a local shop in Ghana two months ago and just today find the phone number was a missionary phone and has being locked by the admin. Please i need help in unlocking it because I really need to communicate and send some business doucment to my coworkers my email is [email address removed]

@Jakedonkor, it's unclear what you mean by "locked".

If the phone is carrier locked, then it would be unable to make phone calls, send texts, and access mobile data; @josephwhite01 gave a good solution for this.

If the phone is locked to a MDM (mobile device manager) like MaaS360, then you would be limited in your ability to download apps, access websites, add accounts, and reset the device. In this case, you might need to reach out to missionary support at gsd-missionsupport @ churchofjesuschrist.org

@Jakedonkor, can you provide more details?