Reset, erase, delete, format or erase; There are different ways to talk about resetting when it comes to smartphones. Sometimes it is necessary to go through this step to give the phone a second life.
But the question everyone is asking at this point is: “If I reset my phone, will I lose everything?” The short answer is you will lose EVERYTHING. But you can have your data backed up before the reset so that you can restore it after the reset. Therefore, I will show you how to reset a phone without losing vital data in this article.
If I reset my phone, will I lose everything?
It depends on what type of reset you are doing. A soft reset does not delete your contacts, apps, and media data. However, with a hard reset, you will lose most of the data on your phone, and your phone will be a clean slate, like it came from the factory. This is why it is called a factory reset.
But you can restore your data if you create a backup. Note, however, that a reset uninstalls and deletes all installed apps. And you won't be able to restore app data when you restore apps from backup data.
The external memory card is not affected. But to be safe, you should remove them before hard reset. The only thing left is a backup of all important data as complete as possible.
Note, however, that a hard reset is not always necessary. A soft reset can also remedy a stuttering and hanging operating system. This simple reboot of the operating system sometimes works wonders and should be done before hard resetting. And you don't need to make a backup because you won't lose your data.
Additionally, you need to deep clean your phone regularly to keep it working well and quickly. An app like Nox Cleaner can help you delete unused files and uninstall unnecessary apps. So you won't need to reset your phone every now and then.
Possible reasons why you might want to reset your device
There are many reasons why you should or might want to reset your device.
1. You want to sell it or give it to someone else
If you are planning to sell your phone, you don't want your data to remain in the hands of the new user. You first need to back up your data, sign out of iOS or your Google account, and erase everything with a hard reset.
However, if you also bought a previously used phone and you can still find some data from the last user, you should reset the phone. In this case, you don't need backup.
2. You experience slowdowns.
Is your smartphone or tablet suffering from significant speed problems? Fully formatting the device is the best way to fix this. At the same time, it is important to double-check what you install because there might be a lot of intrusive apps running in the background.
You know, those famous applications that send you notifications every half hour even though you haven't asked for anything. Imagine that you have 3 or 4 applications of the same ilk running in the background. The impact on your battery and phone performance will be quite overwhelming.
3. Unexplained bugs
Do you have apps that you need to force close or that crash for no reason? Again, resetting your Android mobile is inevitable and should resolve these issues.
But first, I suggest you check your library of installed apps on your device. Then, remove the ones you suspect are causing the problems.
If you need to uninstall and delete a few apps and their data, don't hesitate to search the Play Store for other alternatives or more recent updates.
4. Reset Android after failing to flash a zip
After flashing your cell phone with a different flash file, the phone might become almost unusable. In this case, the reset is important. It allows the system to be returned to its initial state and thus to return to a clean state of health.
Seeing that your mobile is blocked, the simplest solution is to follow these steps:
5. To do some spring cleaning
Some users have no particular problem but may still want to do some spring cleaning. Sometimes this is because there is too much uncleaned data that the user wants to delete at once, not one by one.
But, again, the best way to do this is to use the “Factory Reset” option. With this option, it is important to have a backup of your phone.
How to reset your iPhone without losing everything
There are many reasons to reset your iPhone.
You may want to create some space on your device. You may need to undo settings made over the months or sell your smartphone.
But here are tips to reset your iPhone without losing your data.
Step 1: Make a backup of iOS.
To keep your data up to date even after a reset, make an iOS backup before resetting iPhone.
This way, your private content and settings are secure. You can restore your data to another iPhone or iPad at any time. To back up iPhone before resetting it, there are two options:
1. iOS backup via iCloud
- Tap iCloud Backup and the switch that appears to the right of “iCloud Backup.”
After that, your data will be backed up to your iCloud if you have enough free memory for it. Apple makes 5 GB available for free to each owner of an iCloud account.
If you find that the iCloud backup option is already enabled, that means there is already a current iOS backup of your data in your iCloud.
2. Make iOS backup via PC
On the other hand, you can also perform iOS backup the traditional way by connecting your iPhone to your PC and backing up your data via iTunes to your laptop.
Once you connect your iPhone, iTunes will open automatically. To take an iOS backup, select the Summary option in the left gray column and click Back Up Now. After that, iTunes supports iOS and backs up all your iPhone data to your PC. To avoid data loss, it is wise to choose one of the two methods before resetting iPhone.
Tips and Warnings
- If you don't choose any of these options or start deleting your data while you're still signed into your iCloud account, your data will be deleted from your iCloud before iOS backup.
Step 2: How to reset iPhone after backup
Unlike Samsung or Sony users, as an iPhone owner you can choose between several reset variations, depending on how much of a reset you want to perform.
Before choosing an option, go to Settings >> General >> Reset iPhone >> Reset.
The following menu provides six options for resetting iPhone in iOS 16 version. I also found that it is the same for iPhone users still running as recent as iOS 10. Currently, the options are:
1. Reset all settings
This option will undo all the settings you have made while using your iPhone. This iPhone reset option does not affect your photos, music, contacts and other data.
2. Reset all content and settings
If you want to erase all content and settings on your iPhone, including personal data such as photos and videos, choose this second option. This option is particularly relevant when you sell your iPhone. Indeed, it guarantees that the new user will no longer be able to read your data after the reset.
3. Network Settings
Unlike the previous two, this variation of the reset is limited only to your saved passwords and WiFi hotspots. All content and other data on your iPhone is not affected.
4. Keyboard Dictionary
This fourth option also limits resetting the iPhone to a relatively manageable level. So, this reset concerns exclusively the dictionary of your iPhone.
5. Home screen
Resetting the Home screen only has formal effects on your iPhone. All functionality and content is preserved.
If you don't like your iPhone's app or background image, go for this reset.
6. Location and privacy
This last option will factory reset any changes you have made regarding your location and privacy. Any other changes you have made to your iPhone are preserved.
Choose the option that suits you best from this selection of custom resets. Then tap Reset or Cancel to start the reset or choose another option.
Read also:
Also Read: How to Reset a Motorola Phone
How to reset your Samsung device with ease without losing everything
There are different variations of a reset, depending on the nature of the problem for Samsung users. I'll show you how to properly reset your smartphone, whether with a soft or hard reset, without losing everything. Fortunately, these methods also work for most Android devices.
Soft reset
Soft reset is the simplest version of resetting Android. Strictly speaking, a soft reset describes a restart, not a reset. To restart your device, press the power and mute buttons simultaneously for a few seconds until it restarts.
With previous Samsung phones, like the Galaxy S4 and S5, you only had to remove the battery for a short while to reboot it. But since the batteries are firmly stuck from newer models like the S6 and many other Android smartphones like the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua or the Huawei P9 Lite, this option is no longer available.
A soft reset is mainly recommended when your phone is either stuck or you want to get your device working again faster.
Hard Reset
If your Android device is no longer working properly or you want to sell it, you need to perform a hard reset. But you need to start with a backup, so as not to lose your data:
Step 1: Backup Samsung Phone Data
Before you reset Samsung phone, you need to make a data backup. If you have already done this, it will work automatically.
You can backup your Samsung by going to Settings >> Accounts & Backup >> Backup & Restore. There are three options for saving data.
Via Samsung account
Under Samsung Account >> Data Backup, you can backup phone data like call logs, messages, contacts and others with your Samsung account. For example, if you log in to your Samsung account on a new Samsung smartphone, you can then restore this data.
Via Google account
Option number 2 is Backup via Google Account >> Backup. If you enable data backup, Google account is used for this, and you can restore data to new Android smartphone via Google account. You can also backup data via Samsung, and Google accounts simultaneously.
External storage transfer
In this case, you need to use the Smart Switch app to save the data to an SD card or USB drive.
- Tap More (the three vertical dots) and External Storage Transfer from the drop-down list.
- Select the content you want to back up (i.e., messages, calendars, call log, clock, Internet, and more).
- Tap Backup at the bottom of the page.
Step 2: Delete Google and Samsung accounts
Android phones come with device protection designed to reduce the risk of theft. Ideally, this “Android device protection” is only enabled if someone resets the smartphone to factory settings manually and not through Settings.
Unfortunately, Device Protection is sometimes enabled on devices that have been successfully reset via Settings. Therefore, before resetting a Samsung phone, you need to remove Google and Samsung accounts from the device.
Step 3: Factory Reset Samsung Phone
The next step is the actual reset of the Samsung smartphone.
Go to Settings >> General Management >> Reset >> Factory Data Reset. Select Reset, enter your password or PIN, then confirm your choice.
Note that resetting your Samsung smartphone may take some time. But once it's done, your data is deleted, and the device is ready for a new user.
Step 4: Restore Phone
After completing the reset, you can restart your Android phone with or without power button. To restore backed up data, you must first set up your Google account again.
Any data you have synced through your Google accounts, like contacts or mail, will be restored automatically. After that, you can install the apps you want, recover all other data and files, and configure your Android phone the way you want.
Also Read: How Accurate Are iPhone Location and Tracking Services?