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Those using Android devices like the HTC Desire EYE (pictured) should encrypt their phone first before wiping it and giving it to someone else. Martyn Landi/PA Wire

Here's why you would want to factory reset your device

It’s there in case you need to bring your phone back to square one, but what situations should you use it in?

SOMETIMES YOU MAY have a problem on your phone that you can’t pinpoint. It can be frustrating as you search through apps and programmes without much luck to figure out why your device is freezing or isn’t responding properly.

If such a problem persists, one handy way is to activate factory reset, which will return your phone or device to its original state.

While resetting it doesn’t harm your phone, it’s worth knowing the reasons why you would decide to use it in the first place.

What is a factory reset? 

A Factory Reset removes all user data from a device and reverts it back to default settings, or to be more exact, returns it to the way it was when you first purchased the device.

Data like contacts, photos, apps, your cache and anything else that you saved onto the device ever since you started using it will be cleared from it.

It will not remove the device’s operating system (iOS, Android, Windows Phone) but will go back to its original set of apps and settings. Also, resetting it doesn’t harm your phone, even if you end up doing it multiple times.

Why you would want to reset your device?

The obvious reason would be if you want to give or sell your device to someone else. Either way, you don’t want any of your personal information to remain on the device, especially if it’s the latter.

Other reasons include if your phone is constantly freezing, to restore settings and configurations to the default and remove files that you’re having trouble getting rid of.

It’s also be handy if you are having small issues with your phone and you feel the problem is data related. If you’re unable to properly pinpoint the problem, it could be worth doing, but only if it can’t be solved by removing an app or service.

If it’s a case that your device is running slow, then it might be worth removing apps from your device first before you do this, or restarting your device to see if it works

A similar service is also available on Find my Phone, but that’s to be used in case your device is stolen or lost.

Like all things, if you’re in any way unsure about whether it’s worth doing or not, then avoid it.

Before you reset it

- Back up all your information. This cannot be stated enough because once you reset it, all your information is gone and can no longer be recovered. Also, it helps to have such data saved so you’re not wasting time repopulating your phone with contacts and such.

- If you have an Android device, it’s could be worth encrypting your data first before you wipe it clean. While the latest versions of Android have security features that will make recovering said information harder, encryption adds an extra layer of security that will always be useful should the device fall into the wrong hands.

Where to find it

For iOS users, go to Settings > General > Reset.

For Android users, go to Settings > Backup and Reset > Factory data reset.

For Windows Phone users, go to Settings > About > Reset your phone.

The process will usually take a couple of minutes to complete. Your device might take a little bit longer than usual to boot up but it will revert to normal.

Read: YouTube takes its biggest step towards launching its own music service >

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26 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute KimJong-unDotCom
    Favourite KimJong-unDotCom
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    Nov 12th 2014, 1:18 PM

    I have a Nokia 5110 and can’t play snake anymore, any ideas??

    62
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Liam Long
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    Nov 12th 2014, 1:29 PM

    Straight into the bin with it.

    30
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ían Ó Ceallaigh
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    Nov 12th 2014, 8:54 PM

    Now he has a Nokia 5110 that does not play snake and a broken bin!

    26
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Pinel G
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:21 PM

    A report released by security software Avast a few months back showed that Android’s factory reset option does not remove all of a user’s data, it simply changes the index that points to a file instead of deleting the entire file itself.

    Avast purchased 20 second-hand Android smartphones from eBay and used FTK Imager, an off-the-shelf digital forensics application that is “fairly generic” and “publicly available” to recover data from the smartphones, each of which were described as completely “wiped” according to Android’s factory reset settings. The result? Avast researchers recovered more than 40,000 personal photos, including 1,500 photos with children in them and 250 selfies of someone’s “manhood,” 750 texts and emails, 250 contacts

    https://blog.avast.com/2014/07/09/android-foreniscs-pt-2-how-we-recovered-erased-data/

    51
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    Mute Simon Barnes
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:28 PM

    The only way to completely remove any of your personal data is to first do a factory reset inducing wiping / formatting the USB section removing all app. clear cache ect , and then once you have none of your info available copy over large files of crap to write over it again then delete these. you must ensure that when you copy over the crap file, that they use up all available space.

    24
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Stoner
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    Nov 12th 2014, 8:34 PM

    There is an easier way, go to security settings and encrypt your fone. Do this before you go to bed as it could take a little while, there is no progress bar to let you know how it’s going so. Then reset your fone in the morning. Resetting breaks the encryption key so no info can be accessed. Encrypt then reset, easy peasy!! Source, Engadget, Android Central, Phandroid, Android Authority etc etc

    7
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    Mute Desheen
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    Nov 12th 2014, 1:05 PM

    Pardon my ignorance but if I back up my phone, restore factory settings and subsequently restore my old back up, am I not more than likely restoring the original problem along with it??

    35
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mary Lyons
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:11 PM

    All too complicated for me!

    I’ll just struggle on!

    21
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Kustin J Crush
    Favourite Kustin J Crush
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:14 PM

    Doesn’t seem to help when SGS2 is stuck in Airplane mode! Help!

    15
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    Mute The Emigrant
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:26 PM

    Restart in ‘safe mode’? Google it, it might help

    11
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    Mute Sinead Hanley
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:27 PM

    Kustin.. I feel your pain.. My Samsung stuck on flight mode for a few weeks.. Factory reset complete and the fupping ting still not accepting calls.. Changed the sim and the vodafone guy said the phone is not recognizing any sim so basically its fooked..

    14
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    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute hjGfIgAq
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:33 PM

    Ok, it difficult to tell what causing the problem but here are a few methods that might help.

    - Third-party apps are usually the biggest cause of this. Think back to when this problem started and the apps you downloaded during this period. Chances are one of them is responsible for it (for example, you might have downloaded an app that uses Airplane mode in some form or makes it more convenient to switch on/off) so go into settings > apps > and tap uninstall.

    - Check updates on your phone to see if you’re using the latest version of Android (Settings > About Phone > System Updates). It could possibly be a bug with that current version of Android.

    - To go all IT crowd on you, turn if off and on again and see if that helps restore things to normal.

    - As The Emigrant mentioned, Safe Mode could help with this (hold down power button until power off menu appears, hold down power button and it will ask if you want to restart in safe mode.

    - Factory reset, it shouldn’t be affected by Airplane mode since it’s an internal reset, but if you do go down this route, save your data first on your computer by connecting it manually so you don’t have to go through the pain of updating your phone again.

    Hope that helps.

    19
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    Mute Simon Barnes
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:39 PM

    the Facebook messenger app uses everything on your phone. try removing that.

    24
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Andy Cahalan
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:45 PM

    Sinead – that’s a board problem. Chuck it.

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sinead Hanley
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    Nov 12th 2014, 1:48 PM

    Andy thanks.. At the moment i am still using it for facebook, candy crush, google, The Journal etc, viber.. So its not completely useless..

    Fella in vodafone tried to sell me a HTC 310 but i am broke (as are most people these days) so wont be chucking it yet!

    5
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    Mute Kustin J Crush
    Favourite Kustin J Crush
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    Nov 12th 2014, 2:46 PM

    @ Quainton / all…. thanks to you!! Have tried all the above, one of the forums suggest it if really a problem with the FM radio app, this comes with the os and can’t be removed

    2
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    Mute Paul Healy
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    Nov 12th 2014, 3:17 PM

    Root and remove. It’s an S2 so hardy under warranty. Download Titanium Backup and keep a backup of the FM app, just in case it’s not the problem and you want it back.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Rory Patrick
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    Nov 12th 2014, 1:21 PM

    I use an app called Hammer&Nail – its very effective

    10
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    Mute Paul Healy
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:36 PM

    A factory reset is really the last resort when it comes to clearing app conflicts that may be affecting the performance of your phone. A hard reset (which won’t wipe data) should be an earlier port of call.

    8
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    Mute Nosmo King
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    Nov 12th 2014, 1:39 PM

    I blame the bondholders.

    7
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    Mute Antoinette Mcloughlin
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    Nov 12th 2014, 1:43 PM

    Try doing that with an iPhone. It overheats. Apple arnt in a hurry to replace the phone either. It took me 4 weeks to get a new phone out of them & with ios8 on it the same thing happened it again. It’s now in a drawer &ill never buy another apple product again

    7
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    Mute Kustin J Crush
    Favourite Kustin J Crush
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    Nov 12th 2014, 3:49 PM

    @ Antoinette….keep your phone and use as a home security ip camera!
    ..

    6
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    Mute KeiKe
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    Nov 12th 2014, 3:27 PM

    I’ve a problem HTC one S..while I have the earphones in to listen to the radio or mucic..suddenly for no reason the phone go’s beserk and the radio stations constantly keep changing or the phone will dial my last caller out in my caller history..an ideas what could be up with it folks? I’m starting to think it could be something to do with the earphone jack to the phone.

    2
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    Mute Get Lost Eircodes
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:59 PM

    For Android factory default it, encrypt it, then factory default it again.

    1
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    Mute JULIA SMITH
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    Aug 26th 2015, 12:09 PM

    Your mobile hard reset solution is very informative. I benefited from this post. So I saved your website in my browser. thanks and good like.

    1
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    Mute Gavin Scott
    Favourite Gavin Scott
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    Nov 13th 2014, 7:55 AM

    This works great. Have your stuff in the cloud, including photos. Run amok with phone preservation, crack the screen, bath with it, washing machine… Just factory reset one of the family’s iPhones, good to go in 20 seconds. The hardware is becoming less and less important.

    1
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