Learn how to perform this "last resort" method on your Android.
There are many different reasons that a phone may need to have a
factory reset performed. You may be experiencing too many issues with
apps loading slowly, or malfunctioning when they finally do load. Or
perhaps a friend or customer service person suggested the process to
help with connection issues. Luckily, a factory reset doesn't actually
involve sending your phone off to the factory, just these few steps that
you can do at home:
Important note: Make sure you save any
information that does not sync to the cloud on your phone before
performing this process. Your photos on the SD card will be fine (unless
you choose to format it), but text messages and other settings will not
be saved. If you'd like to save these kinds of things, you can do so
using an app like MyBackup Pro.
It's recommended that you reinstall apps once the reset is
done--instead of backing them up--in case one of them is actually
causing the issues you're experiencing.
1. From the Home screen, press the Menu button and go to Settings.
Screenshot by Nicole Cozma
2. Select Privacy and then Factory data reset.
Screenshot by Nicole Cozma
Screenshot by Nicole Cozma
3. Verify the information on the screen and press Reset phone.
Screenshot by Nicole Cozma
The
process may take a few moments, but the phone will eventually reboot
and ask you for your credentials. Once logged in, if you selected for
apps to restore themselves, they will begin downloading after opening
the Android Market
and agreeing to the Terms of Service again. Additionally, any other
services you had synced to the phone will restore their data as well.
