How to Reset Your Android Phone to Factory Settings

Planning to sell your old Android phone or troubleshoot a problem? You may need to perform a factory reset. This will erase all data from your phone, including your apps, photos, and settings.

Essential Prep: Get Your Android Ready for a Reset

Before you reset your phone, take a few essential steps to ensure a smooth transition:

• Backup Your Data: This involves securing your apps, photos, and settings. Consider backing up to cloud services like Google Drive, your computer (including external hard drives), or an SD card.
• Remove Accounts: These include your Google account, social media accounts, and any other accounts you use on your phone

How to reset your Android phone

To reset your Android phone, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap System.

3. Tap Reset options.

You will be taken to a new page with several options:

• The first option is “Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth.” This is a good option to use if you are experiencing problems connecting to the internet. It allows you to remove the network search for it again, and enter your login information again.
• The second option is “Reset app preferences.” This will reset all the default settings for all apps, services, and notifications on the phone to their default state.
• The third option is “Erase downloaded SIMs.” This option refers to removing any SIM cards that are present on the phone.
• The last option is “Erase all data (factory reset).” This is the option we need to erase and remove everything from the phone’s internal memory. It will reset the phone to its factory settings, which it had when it was first purchased.

In the following window, you will be informed of all the things that will be deleted from your phone’s internal memory. This includes:

• Your Google account
• System data
• Settings
• App data
• All games
• Downloaded apps
• Music
• Photos
• All other media and data on your phone’s internal memory

Once you tap on the “Erase all data” option, you will be signed out of your Google account. In the next window, you will be asked to enter your PIN. You will need to enter your PIN to verify that you are the owner of the phone.

The next window will inform you that all of your data will be erased. This includes data from apps, media, and other sources. Tap on “Erase all data” and note that you will not be able to undo this action.

Your phone will restart and begin the reset process. This may take a few minutes. Once complete, your phone will be restored to its factory settings. Make sure your phone is fully charged or plugged into a charger. Frequent factory resets are unnecessary for modern Android phones. With their improved reliability and built-in features, they rarely require resets.