Tutorial - How to remove google (gmail) account from android phone without factory resetting?

Tutorial for removing google account from andoid smartphone without to have it to factory reset.

Before maybe 15 days ago a friend of mine came to me with asking for help with his android smartphone. He had bought a used phone from another friend but as most of android users he also had set up a gmail account in his phone for syncing calendar, emails and using google play market. The problem was that he was not able to add his gmail account because of that that already one existed in the phone. Normaly he would have to factory reset the phone (wipe) to get a fresh phone and than he would be able to set up his own gmail account. For this case i have prepaired a tutorial which explains step by step how to get the old user deleted.

1. For first we need to go to google play market and download app called Root Explorer. If you are not able to use google play market on phone then you can download the app in APK file format. Its a common way to share android apps with other user on the internet. APK files are being opened like pictures in galary but when you open a APK file it will ask you to install which should be answered with yes.  

The link for this app in APK file format is:

The QR code for this app in APK file format is:

FAQ

Question: What is QR code and what is it used for?

Answer: QR stands for Quick Response. It\\\'s a two-dimensional code invented for marking parts in a factory. It\\\'s similar to bar code but this has some improvements. It has error correction even if some of the code is not readable eg if some part of the sticker is covered with dirt.

2. Once you get Root explorer installed and started browse to the folder on the phone with location: /data/system/ and serach for the file accounts.db

3. Once you located the file delete it or to be 100% able to revert the changes you are about to do simply rename it to accounts.db.OLD.

The phone would behave like you deleted this file and you will be able to set up your own desired gmail account but you can rename it back to revert the changes.

4. Now you have to reboot your device.

5. Once your phone finished all processes it normaly do after a system start you can go and set up your gmail account.

Thank you for reading this tutorial. If you got any questions please contact via email.

Please do not share or copy this tutorial or parts of it without my permission.

Best regards Burkoff