This happens often: over time, the system of your Android device becomes clogged, the smartphone or tablet starts to work slowly, many errors constantly occur. For some, this can be an excellent reason to replace the gadget with a newer model, but this option is not necessary at all. If the problem is only in the system, then just return to the factory settings.
Factory settings "Android": what is it?
You need to understand this literally: the smartphone will return to the state in which it was released for sale. All user files will be erased, except those stored on the memory card. But such an operation can give your device a new life. Yes, and files can be pre-copied to removable media, so that the loss will be small.
How to reset settings using the interface?
In order to return the factory settings to “Android”, you do not need any special applications or knowledge of programming languages. Such an operation was originally embedded in the interface of your device, and it is quite simple to launch it.
Of course, the interface of a smartphone or tablet will differ depending on the model of the device and the version of Android, but with the example of Samsung phones, will you understand? where you can roughly find this feature.
- On a Samsung smartphone, go to “Settings” (“Android” settings), then to “Accounts” and open the “Backup and reset” section.
- In this section you can enable / disable archiving, auto-recovery, including resetting data. Click on "Reset Data."
- You will see a warning that all information will be deleted from the device’s memory, including your Google account and downloaded applications. Confirm data reset.
- The device will reboot. After the next power-up, the factory settings for Android will be restored.
On earlier versions of Android (before 2.1), such an option as data reset? located in the "Privacy" section.
How to restore settings on “Android” using Recovery?
If your smartphone or tablet does not turn on, you can reset the settings through the recovery mode.
Again, the recovery mode on different models starts differently. But the principle of inclusion is one: you need to hold certain keys, including the device. See exactly which key combination is needed for your model in the user manual, or ask a question about technical support on the manufacturer’s website. On Samsung smartphones, recovery mode starts as follows:
- Turn off the device if it is turned on.
- Press the volume up key.
- Without releasing the volume key, press the Home key.
- Without releasing both buttons, press the power key.
- Keep the keys pressed until Recovery mode starts.
- Select wipedata / factoryreset - this will completely reset the Android settings from your device.
If, for example, you have a Sony Xperia Z smartphone, then you need to start the recovery like this:
- Turn off the device.
- Operate the power button and when the indicator located at the top of the phone above the display lights up, press the volume up or down key several times.
Sync and restore data on Android
There is a way that will help to quickly install applications lost due to a factory reset. Instead of remembering and separately searching for each application, by opening the Play Market, simply go to “Menu / My Applications”. Next, click on the “All” tab. You will see a list of all the applications you previously installed.
Before deleting settings on the Android device, it is highly recommended that you enable synchronization. Thanks to synchronization, you can easily recover all lost data.
To restore contacts, Gmail, and calendar entries in the future, enable your account sync. Go from the options menu to the Accounts section and check the options you need.
Photos can be restored if you have a Google+ account. All taken pictures will be automatically uploaded to the server. In addition, the user will be able to access their own photos from any other device.
Android Mail
After the settings on the device running the Android system are deleted, you may want to reconfigure the mail. As was said, when returning to the factory state, in addition to user files and applications, all accounts are also deleted from the smartphone or tablet. If you did not have synchronization turned on before resetting, you will have to manually restore all user options. But there is nothing wrong with that. Setting up mail for Android is done through a special application.
The factory version implies the state of the device after purchase, that is, the memory is not completely eliminated. At your disposal will be built-in applications with which the smartphone went on sale. Now you need the Mail app.
Mail setup instructions
So, setting up mail on Android is as follows. By launching the application, you will be asked to either create a new account or add an existing one to which your Android phone has been linked. The settings should be as follows:
- Enter your account information (username and password).
- Select the protocol for connecting to the mail service. This is required to confirm the password. It is best to specify POP 3.
- Next, you will need to specify the domain of the mail client. For example, a Google mail server would look like this: pop.gmail.com. And the Yandex server: pop.yandex.ru. On "Android" devices, it is most convenient to use mail from Google.
- Set the outgoing mail settings. You must enter a name that the outgoing server uses. This is done according to the same principle by which you specified the domain of the mail client. For example, smtp.gmail.com.
In the same way, you can optionally add an additional mailbox.