Q&A for How to Reset Your Android Phone

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Question

What can I do if my phone will not turn on?

Community Answer

If it's stuck on the logo screen, then it could be that your phone is soft-bricked. To restore your phone, search for your model online, then flash stock firmware.

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Question

I only want to save my photos. How can I save them and do a factory reset?

Community Answer

If your phone has an SD card slot, you can copy your photos to an SD card. Data on an SD card is not touched during a factory reset. If you can't use an SD card, you can always plug your phone into your computer and transfer your photos to it over USB. Finally, there's cloud storage. If you upload all your photos to Google Photos, Facebook, or Dropbox before doing a factory reset, they will be safely stored online for later download.

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Question

How can I use the software of my Android phone if it is corrupted?

Community Answer

You can't, you can't use corrupted software. Re-download the software or find alternatives.

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Question

How do you back up your data?

Community Answer

Do this by connecting your Android phone or tablet to your computer. Click on it and copy all of the files out of it into a folder on your computer.

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Question

My son pressed something on the phone and now it tells me that it is blocked by "UK Police." What should I do?

Community Answer

He has most likely got a virus on his phone. Try doing a recovery reset, following the steps above.

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Question

After it says that a move can't be undone, what do I do?

Community Answer

Use the volume buttons to go down, then select Yes. They put lots of "No" buttons to make sure you don't accidentally delete your data.

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Question

I'm at the part where it says it can't be undone. What do I do now?

Community Answer

Press the volume down key until the "yes" is highlighted, then the power button (usually it is the power button, sometimes it is the home button or camera button, but just go with power) to select it.

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Question

What do I do if I have a fingerprint lock and I forgot the code to unlock it?

Community Answer

Follow the above steps and reset the phone. That will fix your problem.

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Question

Will I still have minutes on my phone after I reset it?

Community Answer

Yes, as this amount is maintained by your service carrier, not the phone itself.

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Question

How do I reset my phone without deleting all my files?

Community Answer

Back up your files via your Google account or an SD card or online (make sure you either take out the SD card or don't format it), reset, and sign in with your Google account.

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Question

Will a factory reset change my phone number?

Community Answer

No, your phone number is associated with your service carrier, not your actual phone.

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Question

All there is after I reset is the Android robot. What should I do?

Community Answer

Wait for a while (2-3 hours) and try again. If it doesn't work, your resetting software might be broken.

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Question

If I reset my phone, will it delete my pics?

Community Answer

If you factory reset your phone, then yes, unless your pictures are saved on an SD card. Otherwise, you can back your pictures up to your computer or cloud storage before resetting.

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Question

After my phone restarts, will l get my data back?

Community Answer

No, unless you back it up first. The restore deletes everything, including pictures, documents, music, and apps. Apps can be reinstalled after the restore, but other data will be gone forever.

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Question

What should I do if my touch screen is not working and I already factory reset it?

Community Answer

Take it to a repair shop so they can make sure something didn't happen to the motherboard or the glass.

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Question

What can I do when the phone says to enter the PIN, but I don't remember it?

Community Answer

If you have forgotten the password/PIN, a factory reset will help you to erase the PIN lock, but other data also be deleted. If you want to keep the files, you'll need to find a Lock Screen Removal tool.

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Question

How do I reset the phone of my sister? She can't remember the password.

Community Answer

Boot into recovery mode and choose to wipe all data, then reboot the phone.

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Question

What do I do if my phone will not come on? The Android bot comes on and says to touch the screen to unlock, but it won't unlock.

Community Answer

The same thing happened to my iPad, I just let the battery run dead, then charged it and turned it back on and it was fine.

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Question

How can I reset my phone if it won't respond to anything I try to do?

Community Answer

Try holding the power button for at least 10 or 15 seconds. You should see an option to reset.

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Question

What do I do if my phone won't turn on or charge?

Community Answer

Try a different charging cable and different source of power. If it still won't charge, you can try a replacement battery; if you still don't get power, your phone may be damaged internally.

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Question

Will this cause me to lose the pictures and contacts in my phone?

Community Answer

Yes, a factory reset or data wipe gets rid of all of the data on the phone, including pictures and contacts.

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Question

How can I unlock a phone with a lock on it?

Community Answer

Do a factory reset, but this will delete all of your data. Or find a screen lock remover.

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Question

Can I recover data in my internal memory even after formatting my phone?

Community Answer

Yes, if you back up your phone. You can even back up from Android Recovery. Just make sure you have enough storage. Custom recoveries like TWRP can select which storage gets deleted.

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Question

Will the device start over from the beginning like a new phone?

Community Answer

It will erase everything except the system, making the device's software new (but not the hardware). Back up you contact details and any saved information before resetting.

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