Good-to-know-before-resetting-your-android-phone
Before proceeding with resetting your phone, keep in mind that this procedure is final. Your device will be reset to factory settings and you will lose all your data: files, messages, contacts, settings, etc. Setting up a device again can take hours, so make sure you’ve tested all other options available to you before performing a full reset.
Also note that rooting Android is a different procedure from factory reset: rooting is indeed a more complex procedure aimed at obtaining administrator access (or root access) to unlock more advanced features.
Solutions to try before resetting your phone
If you’re not sure whether you want to permanently erase your data or are experiencing performance issues, try these less drastic solutions first.
Sort your Android apps
Your phone may slow down significantly because its memory is full. First, try to close all applications open in the background. A single greedy application can significantly reduce the performance of your device, so closing running applications may be enough to resolve the problem.
Secondly, go through the list of installed applications and delete any that you do not use. We tend to install apps that we only use a few times, which fills up storage space unnecessarily. This solution can therefore free up part of your smartphone’s memory and improve its performance in the blink of an eye.
Clear your device’s cache
Cache memory is used to keep relevant data “on hand” to maximize device performance. But paradoxically, a full cache memory can cause slowdown problems. Clearing the app cache helps get rid of old files, some of which may be causing your device’s performance issues.
Restart your Android phone
It may seem simple, but many users tend to neglect this step. If you never forget to charge your phone, you probably haven’t restarted it in months, which can cause the system to slow down. To restart your Android device, hold the power button for a few seconds and tap “Restart”.
Take a backup of your data
If you are like the majority of users, your smartphone is near you practically 24 hours a day, and it contains a good part of your private life. Photos, personal notes, emails, games, but also data from your sports applications, sleep tracking…
To ensure you maintain access to all that valuable data, even if you lose or reset your phone, back up your information first. To do this:
- Go to each of the apps you will continue to use, such as Duolingo, sports apps, or habit trackers, to export your data.
- Export your contact list or sync it to the cloud.
- By using a cloud service, you can also automatically back up all your photos and videos.
- Save your browser bookmarks to another device.
- Back up all your passwords, for example using a password manager.
Make sure you haven’t forgotten any data before you reset your phone, to make sure you don’t accidentally delete anything.
How to reset your Android phone
Still experiencing performance issues? Do you want to erase all traces of your data on your Android phone in order to sell or give it away? To factory reset your phone, follow these steps.
Reset an Android phone via Settings
- 1.Go to Settings, then System.
- 2.Tap Advanced options.
- 3.Select Reset options, then Wipe all data (factory reset).
Can’t find the sections described above? Depending on your Android phone model, the instructions may vary slightly:
- 1.In Settings, select System & updates.
- 2.Press Reset.
- 3.Select Reset phone.
Reset an Android phone using phone buttons (recovery mode)
If you still can’t find the right settings in the Settings section, don’t worry. Alternatively, you can activate your phone’s recovery mode (or safe mode) using the buttons on the device.
To activate recovery mode and reset your phone, here’s how to do it:
- 1.Turn off your device by holding the power button for a few seconds.
- 2.Press and hold the power and volume down buttons until a loading screen appears.
- 3.Use the volume buttons to move down the list and select Recovery Mode.
- 4.Press the power button.
- 5.After the phone restarts, use the volume keys again to select Wipe data/factory reset.
- 6.Press the power button again to confirm.
Note that resetting an Android device via recovery mode will require you to sign in using the Gmail account you were using before.
How to reset an Android phone that won’t boot
Are you no longer able to turn on your device? This complicates the task a little, but rest assured, you will still be able to launch the phone’s recovery mode. Follow the steps given above to enable this mode and reset your Android device.
How to reset a stuck Android phone
Is your phone locked and you no longer have access to it because you have lost the unlock code? This may be a reason to want to reset it. In this case, Recovery Mode should also help you with this. Just follow the steps outlined above and you will be able to regain access to your phone to factory conditions.
How to reset a lost Android phone
Did you know that Google’s “Find My Device” feature allows you to erase your Android phone remotely? If you have lost your device and you are worried that someone will be able tohack your phone, the “Find My Device” feature can be extremely useful. You can reset your device, even if you have never set up Find My Device.
Here’s how to reset a lost Android device:
- 1.Download the Find My Device app from the Play Store or access your Google account via browser.
- 2.Select the device you lost.
- 3.Select “Erase device” and click to confirm.
We hope this guide helped you reset your Android phone.
