Modern Android actually does support disk encryption. And the Pixels even have TPMs that should (?) safeguard the key, preventing offline brute forcing the unlock pattern. I wonder what happened here that this did not work...
Someone else here mentioned that the the reddit comments (now deleted) said that the phone had no passcode on it, so anyone would be able to unlock it.
Ah, that's it then. I figured they would likely have a passcode, since the "someone steals my phone on public transport" threat vector is a pretty obvious one even for non-tech users. Unfortunately the thread got nuked before I got to read it more...
This week I was in a chat with the REAL support of a crypto currency.
Unable to help me with my problem at first (we eventually figured it out), they felt they hit a dead end and said: "ok, just send us your wallet.dat, we'll fix it".
I know those guy were the real deal. I knew they would not try to steal the money I had on this wallet, because it was so little it was not even worth the time.
Yet, the fact they asked that proves how much support can badly educate their users.
Of course, I didn't send my wallet, and found another solution since I'm tech saavy. But still...
I once got my screen replaced at one of the phone fix-it places. It's a decent sized chain, not just some rando. On the form you fill out during drop-off it asks you for your unlock code.
none since they can wipe the phone without a passcode. This is true for both iphone and android phones. I'm not familiar with off-brand OS phones though.
