here’s how to Factory Reset an Android Phone

There comes a time when you may need to factory reset an Android phone. Whether your phone is becoming slow or you are simply preparing to sell it, a factory reset is one of the best ways to restore the phone to its perfect factory condition.

If you are performing a factory reset due to performance issues, remember that factory resetting your smartphone should be the last resort. Sure it can get rid of many issues that may be boggling your phone down but you can try out targeted solutions before going the nuclear route. However, if you have decided that everything must go from the phone, doing a factory reset is not that hard.

It is recommended that you do a backup of personal data before factory resetting your phone. Copy data to your PC, save it on the cloud or transfer it to another phone. Factory reset deletes everything from the device, including contacts, messages, apps, and photos. Make sure you have everything back up before doing the process.

Factory Reset an Android Phone

The best way to factory reset your Android phone is to simply use the default option placed inside the settings. Almost all Android smartphones follow this pattern so you don’t have to worry much about the setting’s location. However, most smartphones these days come with a handy search feature in the setting to quickly navigate to the setting you need.

factory reset android device
         
  1. First, locate the settings icon on the app drawer or on the notification shade. Both will take you to the phone settings. 
  2. In the settings, check to see if your smartphone has a settings search feature. It will be right on the top of the interface.
  3. If it is there, tap on it to start typing and write “Factory Reset”. Some manufacturers have their own skin on Android so the name of the setting may be different. If nothing shows up, try typing “Reset”.
  4. On stock Android, you simply head to Settings > System > Reset Options > Erase all data > Reset Phone. The same goes for almost every other smartphone.
  5. After you tap on the button, your smartphone will restart and it will be as good as new.

Factory Reset an Android via Recovery Mode

If the Android device is not booting up properly or you want to factory reset it like an expert, the recovery mode is the best place to do it. Recovery Mode is a nifty Android feature that allows you to do many things. For this includes performing a complete device wipe, also known as Factory Reset.

As Android is very diverse and a lot of different manufacturers make devices that use it as an OS, how you access the recovery menu might differ. For a standard stock Android device, it is usually accessed by pressing the volume up and power buttons together.

Before you proceed any further, we need to address an important issue. Google introduced a great feature called Factory Reset Protection that makes sure no one else can actually factory reset your stolen or misplaced device and start using it as they own it. So after you factory reset, you will be asked to enter the Google account details that are linked to the device. Make sure you know the email and password before continuing so you won’t have any trouble logging back into the device.

The Factory Reset Protection only activates when you reset a device using the Recovery Menu and not the in-phone settings. We selected a stock Android phone to provide the process, here is what you need to do:

  • Turn off the smartphone. 
  • Hold the volume down and power buttons. 
  • When the phone turns on, you will see Start and an arrow. In this menu, you can use the volume buttons to navigate and the power button to do selections. 
  • Navigate to Recovery mode. 
  • Press the power button to select that option. Your smartphone will restart. 
  • You will see a new screen this time that says No Command. Here press and hold volume up and power buttons to boot into the recovery menu. 
  • You can use the volume buttons to select the option that says Wipe data/factory reset. 
  • Pressing the power button while it is highlighted will select the option. 
  • Press Yes on the confirmation prompt to proceed with the factory reset.  
  • Once the process is completed, you will be back at the recovery menu. Select the Reboot System Now option to boot into your smartphone’s normal interface.

After Factory Reset

Now that your device is fully reset, log in to your Google account and start using your spiritually new smartphone. Hopefully, any issues you were facing prior to the reset will be resolved and you will have a stable smartphone to use.

If you have any questions or concerns about how to factory reset your smartphone, feel free to drop a comment below.

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