Need to know how to factory reset an Android phone? Does it seem really complicated when you read all the technical stuff online? Well this guide is going to make it really easy for anyone to do – no tech skills required.
Whether you are looking to sell your Android phone, planning on sending it in for repairs, or simply wanting to restore something on it. There will eventually come a time when you find yourself needing to do a factory reset – a hard reset – on your Android device.
Thankfully, performing a factory reset on an Android phone or device is incredibly easy and it will be over before you know it.
Be sure to look at my other articles in this section:
How to Backup an Android Phone
How to Restore an Android from a Backup
These all relate to my security section. As you may know this website looks in depth at various spy apps – how to use them properly and how to deal with them if you are a victim of spy apps.
See How to Remove Spyware From Android Phones and how to detect spyware apps. I also have an in depth guide on how to tell if your Android is hacked – your phone can be hacked in several different ways not just using spy apps.
If you are hacked then check out how to remove any phone hacks in this guide.
However, there are a few things that you will need to know and prepare yourself for before you can begin doing a factory reset.
For instance, if you are planning on selling your phone, you will also want to take the SIM card out in addition to doing a factory reset. This will further ensure that your personal data and information is kept safe. See my article about SIM card hacking and cloning.
Backing up Your Android Phone
If you are planning on using your phone after doing a factory reset, it is imperative that you know how to back up your Android. With that being said, backing up your phone is an even easier process than factory resetting it.
You will want to make sure that all the data that you want to use after the reset is backed up. This includes photos, videos, contacts, apps, bookmarks, and configurations, among all the possibilities.
You should know that your Android phone keeps its backups connected to your Google Drive.
How Do You Reset an Android Phone?
There are two different ways to get this reset done. The first way is through the menu, where you can navigate yourself to the reset area and begin resetting the phone. However, if you are running into issues during an update, you might not be able to access the phone at all.
This means you won’t be able to factory reset your phone with this method. Instead, you will have to use the other method: recovery mode.
The process of resetting your phone varies greatly through both these settings as one requires you to log in and the other doesn’t.
Factory Resetting an Android Through the Menu
As you might be able to imagine, this process is extremely straightforward. On all devices except the Samsung Galaxy A8+, you will want to go to the Settings Icon near the bottom of the screen and scroll to the bottom of the menu. Here you will find the System tab.
Once you open this tab, you will be able to find an area that holds all the reset options, usually labeled “Reset”. From here, you will want to select the option labeled “Erase all data (factory reset)”.
Various models might have slightly different names but they will be extremely similar. Once again, you will want to go to the bottom of the page until you see the option to “reset phone”.
You should be prompted to enter the phone’s pin; once you do this, you should select “Continue”.
For a factory reset, you should erase everything. Once you complete this, the phone will restart and you will be asked to go through the initial setup, where you can restore from a backup if you need.
For the Samsung Galaxy A8+, things will be slightly different. Of course, opening the Settings icon will be the same but this time you will want to find the “General Management” tab.
Once there, there will be a tab labeled “Reset” and after that, an option to “Factory Data Reset”.
Continuing on, there will be a blue “Reset” button that you can press where you will be prompted to enter the device’s password.
After you have done this, you should press the “Next” button and then the button to “Delete All”. From here, things will be the same as most other models of Android phones, where the phone will restart and you can begin setting things up again as you need.
Factory Reset an Android Through Recovery Mode
If you are unable to boot up your Android but still feel the need to do a factory reset to try to solve the issue, there is a way to do this. Through recovery mode, you can force a factory reset. There are a few risks to this mode. Newer models of phones run by Google have Factory Reset Protection as long as they are running Lollipop or above.
This ensures that someone you don’t know isn’t trying to force a reset. Generally, you will simply have to log in with your Google account associated with the device. If you can’t or don’t remember the proper credentials, you won’t be able to continue.
Again, this process varies between most other Android phone and the Samsung Galaxy A8+.
For most other Android phones, you will first want to make sure that the phone is completely turned off. By holding the Power and the Volume Down buttons at the same time, you will see a “Start” with an arrow pointed toward the power buttons.
You should use the volume controls to scroll through your options. Continue scrolling until you come across an option labeled “Recovery Mode”.
Press the power button to initiate recovery mode. Your phone will reload and you should see a screen that says “No Command” on it with a distressed Android robot. This time, hold Power and Volume Up together to load recovery mode.
There will be another instance where you scroll through options with the volume controls.
Keep doing this until you reach the “Wipe Data/Factory Reset” option.
Press the power button to select it. Confirm that you indeed want to reset the phone. Once the reset is complete, you will be bounced back to the same menu where you should scroll until you see the “Reboot System Now” option.
You will have to wait for it to restart again but it will be complete.
For the Samsung Galaxy A8+, the process largely remains the same except for a few things. Again, you should make sure that your phone is off. First, you will need to press the Power and Volume Up buttons at the same time and hold them.
In a few seconds, you will see a “No Command” message after it attempt to install a system update.
When you see the “No Command” message, you should wait about 10 to 15 seconds and then your device will enter recovery mode. From here, you will also use the volume controls to scroll and you will use the power button to make selections.
Keep scrolling until you find the “Wipe Data/Factory Reset” option and press the power button to select.
Confirm that you do want to reset your phone and then you will want to reboot the system again. After this is complete, your device will have been factory reset and you can continue with what you were doing. Anroid OS makes resetting easy!
For iPhone and other Apple devices I also have similar guides here:
How to Restore an iPhone From a Backup
How to Factory Reset an iPhone
I hope these articles are what you are looking for – thanks for reading!
