If you are having serious issues with your Android device or are planning to sell it, you may need to perform a factory reset.
Here we will teach you how to do a factory reset on Android. We will also see how data can be recovered after a factory reset.
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What is a factory reset?
A factory reset is a process that you perform on a device, such as a phone or tablet. It deletes all your personal data stored on the device and returns to its original state it was in when it left the factory, hence the name “factory reset”.
You may also see a factory reset called a “master reset” or “system restore”. Sometimes people colloquially speak of “cleaning” a device, which usually means a factory reset.
Why perform a factory reset?
There are a number of reasons why you might want to do a factory reset on your Android device. First, if you want to sell your device, you don’t want the buyer to have access to your data. So you should always do a factory reset before handing your device over to someone else.
Second, you might have had your device for a while and it’s full of apps that you don’t want. Since it runs slowly, a factory reset will reset everything to a clean state and should make your device run faster. From there, you can reinstall only the apps you need.
Finally, if your device encountered some kind of software issue that you cannot fix, performing a factory reset will usually fix the problem.
How to reset your Android device to factory settings
Android comes with an option to do a factory reset in its settings, so it’s easy to do a factory reset.
Before performing a reset, make sure you have backed up all important data on your Android device . You may also want to back up app settings, a list of your favorite apps, and media such as photos, videos, and music.
Here’s how to perform a factory reset on Android:
- Access to settings from your Android device, which you will find in the app drawer.
- Scroll down the menu and select System .
- Here you will see a number of settings and an option to display more in the subheading Advanced . Press on Advanced .
- Now select Reset options.
- In this menu you will see an option titled Erase all data (factory reset) . This is the option you want, so tap it.
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You will see a confirmation page titled Erase all data (factory reset) . This page warns you that in the future data on your device will be deleted, such as your Google account, system and application settings, downloaded applications, music, photos, and other user data.
- The screen also shows the accounts you are logged in to on the device. This includes Google accounts as well as others like Telegram, Microsoft, and WhatsApp.
- If you are sure you want to perform the reset, press the button Delete all data at the bottom of this page.
- The device will ask you to enter your PIN code or password. Once done, press next .
- To confirm the deletion, press Delete all .
- This starts the factory reset process. Once your device is reset, you can set it up as if it were a new device.
Can data be recovered after factory reset?
People often think that once they perform a factory reset their data is completely deleted from the device and is no longer accessible. But this is not necessarily the case.
It is possible to recover data after a factory reset. This can be beneficial if you accidentally performed a reset and want to get your data back. But it can be a problem if you performed the reset in order to protect your data.
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Android comes with built-in encryption to protect your data
Years ago, Android devices weren’t encrypted by default. This meant that even after performing a factory reset, some data was still accessible on the device’s internal memory.
There are tools available that could connect to an already reset device and extract deleted files, which could include personal data like contacts, texts, or photos. To protect your data, you should encrypt your device before you factory reset it.
However, as of Android 6 Marshmallow, Android devices are shipped encrypted by default. This means you don’t have to worry about people accessing your deleted data using forensic tools. Even though the tools are capable of extracting deleted files from your device, these files are encrypted so they cannot be read by anyone else. It is one of the many reasons why an encrypted smartphone is a good idea .
