What Happened To My Apps After Factory Reset Android

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hard reset samsung

These days, it's very unlikely that you haven't heard anything about the factory reset on Android devices; In fact, we have some articles referring to the performance improvement it brings to your device and how to do this procedure on different phones.

Still, many of you have doubts about what a factory reset is about. Therefore, this article will tell you what a factory reset is, all the advantages and disadvantages of factory reset, that completely resetting the device involves and how to do it. At the end of the article, there is an extensive list of brands and models of android phones and the way you can reset/format them to factory settings.

Tabla de Contenidos

1 Advantages and disadvantages of FACTORY RESET Android
- 1.1 ¿What is a factory reset and what is it for?
- 1.2 What are its main advantages?
- 1.3 Do you have problems?
- 1.4 Factory Reset Android as root
- 1.5 What «happens and does not happen» when we doing it
- 1.6 Format and Hard reset on Android 5.1 and newer versions
- 1.7 How do I format my phone or tablet?
- 1.8 Conclusions about HARD RESET and FACTORY RESET
2 How to Factory / HARD RESET ANDROID smartphones (links in Spanish):
- 2.1 HTC
- 2.2 Motorola
- 2.3 Sony Xperia
- 2.4 Samsung Galaxy
- 2.5 Nexus
- 2.6 LG
- 2.7 How to format /unlock tablets like Nexus 10 or Asus Prime
- 2.8 Meizu

Advantages and disadvantages of FACTORY RESET Android

¿What is a factory reset and what is it for?

An Android factory reset is a full reset of the android device, which will erase everything you have installed so far, applications, games, photos and videos you've recorded, work files, etc. The device will remains as when it was brand new. All linked accounts, settings, applications and cache stored in the internal memory will be erased.

Everything kept on the SD card, such as photos, songs, etc; will remain there after the reset because at the time the device is being reset, most phones and tablets ask the user whether deleting or not the contents on the SD memory.

If you have trouble accessing the phone or tablet, you forgot the password, unlock pattern or if the young and not-so-young ones of the house have introduced too many times the password or pattern wrong, a factory reset may be the solution.

This also means a factory reset Android is the perfect solution if you want to give away or sell your Android device by setting it as when it came out of the box, but you must not forget the SD card.

android device manager

What are its main advantages?

This process, as mentioned before, deletes all data we stored in the internal memory since we acquired the phone or tablet. By deleting all that information, it will reduce the system processes and improve its performance, which could have been reduced by the large number of running processes, applications and games using too much space. Obviously, we will also clear a large storage space for new applications or files.

Apart from cleaning and leaving the device as Google, Samsung, Sony, LG, HTC…brought it into the world, the restoration also offers a clear advantage to devices with working issues, such as when the camera does not open, android errors, improperly installed or uninstalled applications, constant «error.android» messages, keyboard malfunctions, etc. In short, when the device overwhelms us with constant failures and errors, a reset can be an effective solution.

Do you have problems?

If you want to reset the device because you will sell it or give it out, this means no problem because it will delete all your data and return the phone to its original condition as it was brand new.

But if we reset our device because we noticed that its snappiness has slowed down, the biggest drawback is the loss of data, so it is essential to backup all your data, contacts, photos, videos, files, music, before resetting. If you have performance issues with your phone or tablet, in this article you can check some tricks to improve its performance without rooting or doing a factory reset.

factory reset xperia

Factory Reset Android as root

Another factor is whether the mobile or tablet is rooted or not. In this case it will depend if, as root, a folder of system file has been modified, changed, or altered, in this case, if a factory reset android is carried out, it can «brick» your device, leaving you with an expensive paperweight.

In cases where no system's carpet or file has been modified or altered the restoration will make the root disappear. It's important to point out that each mobile and brand is different, in some of them the root may be deleted, others may not start normally, as well as other problems depending on how the rooting was made.

What «happens and does not happen» when we doing it

What version the device remains? There are many comments and questions about what happens when we restore our android device. The most common question is, if after resetting the device, it will remain either with the android version you had installed at that time or the previous version you had which was working perfectly until upgrading the device causing either the network, Wi-Fi or some other feature stopped working properly on the phone or android tablet.

The answer is; when we restore to factory mode, the device will return to its original state with the version you have installed at that time, that is, if we factory reset on Android 4.4 Kitkat, it will remain with that same Android version once the process is completed.

Will it unlock my phone? They are plenty of comments on whether after factory resetting; the device will be unlocked and thus can be used with any other phone company. The answer is No.

Will my device get free of viruses? If you fear that your mobile phone or tablet has been infected by a virus or malware, a factory reset will clean the malicious code and leave the device free of threats.

Format and Hard reset on Android 5.1 and newer versions

Since Android 5.1 lollipop was launched, Google has a protection against Factory Reset, to avoid factory resetting the device in a nonconsensual way in case your device has been stolen or misappropriated.

Therefore, all models with Android operating system, integrate a new security measure for the user called FRP.

FRP is the acronym for Factory Reset Protection, and is part of an anti-theft solution to protect your mobile or tablet from an unauthorized factory reset. This way, although the terminal is stolen, they may not use it or access to personal information.

Google establishes some Factory Reset procedures classified as unsafe, so that even if a thief wants to perform a factory reset, the phone will be able to block the access completely.

How do I format my phone or tablet?

The process is very simple and fast: in a few minutes you will have the device as it was new. The location of this option may vary depending on the manufacturer and/or the Android version, but usually it doesn't change that much.

In a Nexus 6 with Android 5.0 Lollipop, we must following these steps:

Get into the Settings menu
In «Personal", tap on "Backup"
In «Personal Data», tap on "Factory reset".
Read the information displayed and tap on "Reset phone".
If the device is protected, introduce the pattern, PIN or password as required.
Tap on «Delete All» to clear all data from the internal storage device.
When the device has finished deleting data, select restart the device.

disadvantages of factory reset

Here you can learn how to delete the data and Factory reset a Samsung Galaxy S5 or a Motorola Moto X. Additionally, there are procedures to Factory reset other models of Samsung, Sony, HTC, Motorola, Nexus and Huawei.

Conclusions about HARD RESET and FACTORY RESET

Finally, we could say that performing a factory reset android is especially useful if you have performance issues with your phone or tablet, applications errors, camera errors, etc. and if you want to delete all the device's data.

So, if you go to sell your Android phone or if it doesn't work very well, Factory reset the device could be the way to go. Remember to back up your data before resetting!

How to Factory / HARD RESET ANDROID smartphones (links in Spanish):

HTC

HTC One, restart, reset and factory reset

Motorola

Reset the Motorola Moto X, and restore factory settings

Sony Xperia

Reset Sony Xperia Z1 and restore factory settings
How to reset and factory reset the Sony Xperia Z

Samsung Galaxy

2 ways to reset the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge
Factory reset a Samsung Galaxy S6

Nexus

Reset LG Nexus 5 and restore factory settings
Reset Google Nexus 10 buttons to factory settings

LG

As LG suggests, a factory/hard reset is a good practice that should be done occasionally on your phone or tablet. In the links below, there are some models of LG and how to factory reset them.

Three ways to reset the LG E400 Optimus L3 and restore to factory setting

How to format /unlock tablets like Nexus 10 or Asus Prime

Video tutorial, how to factory reset a Google Nexus 10

Meizu

How to make hard reset/format the Meizu M2 Note

We hope you find this article useful and solve any doubts you may have. You can let us know your experiences resetting and restoring your android phone or tablet, in the comments below this article or on our Android forum. ¿Did you find more advantages or disadvantages of factory reset?