Before you factory reset: the things people forget
Whether you are selling the phone, handing it on or trying to fix something, a factory reset is final. Cloud accounts cover a surprising amount, and there is a consistent set of things they do not cover. Work through this list before rather than after.
The list, in order
- Two-factor authenticator codes First, always. Export them or use the app's transfer. Without this you may not be able to sign back into the account holding everything else.
- Messaging backups Run each app's own backup manually. The last automatic one may be days old.
- Game progress Link games to an account. Local-only progress does not survive.
- Photos and video Confirm the upload finished. Compare counts rather than assuming.
- Files outside the standard folders Downloads, documents, anything you put somewhere specific. Copy over USB.
- Sideloaded app list They will not come back automatically. A screenshot of the app drawer is enough.
- Passwords not in a manager Anything only saved in a browser on this device.
- eSIM, if you have one Some carriers require a new activation. Check before wiping, not after.
Advertisement
If the phone is going to someone else
- Sign out of your accounts before resetting Particularly the Google account, which otherwise leaves the device locked to you and unusable for the buyer.
- Remove any work profile Managed profiles can survive a reset on enrolled devices.
- Take the SIM and SD card out Obvious, and it is forgotten constantly.
- Reset from settings, not recovery The settings reset handles account removal properly.
- Check encryption is on It is by default on modern Android, which is what makes the reset a real erase rather than a deletion.
- Sign out of the Google account first
- Remove work profiles
- Reset from settings
- Take the storage card out
- Reset while accounts are still signed in
- Rely on deleting files manually
- Hand over a phone still linked to your account
- Forget the eSIM
After the reset
Set the new device up before wiping the old one if both are in your hands. If the reset is on the only phone you have, work through the checklist twice, because there is no way back.
Once restored, check the three things that most often need attention: two-factor on your email, banking apps that bind to a device, and any app you installed by hand.
Is a reset even the fix?
A reset is frequently recommended for problems it does not solve. Battery drain, app crashes and slow performance usually have a specific cause that survives a reset, because the restore brings the cause back with it.
Try safe mode first: if the problem disappears there, a third-party app is responsible and finding it is quicker than a reset and a full restore. Reset when you are selling the phone, when the system itself is corrupt, or when nothing else has worked.
Authenticator codes first, then app backups, then confirm the photo upload. Sign out of your account before handing the phone on.
Frequently asked questions
Does a factory reset remove everything?
From internal storage, yes, and on encrypted devices it is a genuine erase. An SD card is not touched unless you ask.
Will my apps come back automatically?
Play Store apps do, with the account. Sideloaded apps do not.
Will a reset fix battery drain?
Rarely, because restoring brings back whatever was causing it. Diagnose first.
Read next
This is not a rivalry. Each does something the other cannot.
You are not buying encryption. You are buying an operator whose income does not depend on you.
For a plain ZIP either works. For a split, password-protected archive, only one does.
