As it turns out, some helpless Google Gboard users have been locked out of their Android phones. This happens because the recent update of the Gboard keyboard app which was distributed via the Google Play Store has a habit of crashing, which means users have not been able to punch in their passcodes to unlock their Android phones. And clearly, those who have been unable to use their smart smartphones are not impressed. The saving grace is, Google has acknowledged the issue and says a fix is now available.
“We're aware of a bug in a recent update to Gboard users on Android 7.1 and below that caused the keyboard to crash for some users. A fix for this issue (8.9.14) has been rolled out,” says a Google employee Zak P on the Android Help Forums. But the problem isn’t going to go away so easily. Google also warns that while on many phones, simply updating the app will solve the issue, that may not be so simple for a lot of others. “For some users, it may require a reset of their device for the update to take effect,” they say.
The funny thing is, they want users to update the Gboard app on the phone, but if you have auto-update disabled (that is good actually in the first place, but it’ll become a problem for you if you’ve restarted your phone and now have to mandatorily enter the security code—fingerprint sensor and face detection don’t work if you have just restarted your phone.
“I have the same problem with my Motorola Moto G3, as of today. Restarted a few times and Gboard is still not working. Can't type my password to unlock the phone, so can't get to the settings or anything. Does anyone has any idea what to do?,” writes a user Vera Ruvinskaya on the Google forum. Motorola is one Android phone maker which has responded to this. In a tweet by Motorola UK, the company says, "This issue was caused by an update on Gboard, which belongs to Google. If one cannot access their device because Gboard won't come up, then the only way to bypass the Screen Lock is by performing an external reset unfortunately."
Some users are reporting that things have returned to normal since the Gboard update installed on their phones. But others are still complaining that they remain locked out of their phones even after the update—with no option but to reset.
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