How to delete all data from an Android phone. How to find a lost or stolen Android phone (and delete all data)

Have you decided to change your phone to a more modern one and sell your old one? Don't forget to reset your phone before selling it. It's about about resetting the phone Samsung Galaxy, but this function is also available in other phones. You can, of course, simply delete all contacts, clear photos, delete history in browsers, delete applications, but firstly it will take a lot of time and secondly you may miss something and your personal data may go to the new owner of the phone, it’s good if there is nothing there important. This article will teach you how to reset your device to remove all personal and app data using Samsung Galaxy.

WHAT IS THE ARTICLE ABOUT?

Actions

1. Open the application menu

This is a menu of all applications installed on your device.

2. Click "Settings"

3. Scroll down and tap "Backup" and "Reset"

This option will open your phone's reset menu.

If you don't see this option in the Settings menu, look for Main Controls. On some devices there will be a Reset option in this submenu.

4. Click "Factory Data Reset"

This will open a new page.

5. Click "RESET DEVICE"

This button will delete all your personal information and downloaded applications. You will need to confirm your action on the new page.

Think about backup your data before performing a factory reset. You will not be able to recover old data after a reset unless it was backed up.

6. Click "DELETE ALL"

This button will confirm your action and reboot your device. Resetting your settings will destroy all your personal and app data.

In old Android versions this button may appear as "Delete everything"

Resetting your device may take some time. Your device will restart once the reset is complete.

Why do you need a data reset?

Resetting device data (settings reset, hard reset, factory reset) - deleting all data from a smartphone or tablet: contacts, messages, downloaded applications, photos, music, mail settings, alarms, etc.

After the reset, the smartphone or tablet returns to the form it had when purchased (factory condition).

What to do before resetting your data

Save important data. All unsaved data cannot be restored after a reset.

Questions and answers

What to do if after resetting the device does not turn on (freezes when turned on)

Contact the Samsung service center; you will need to reinstall the firmware using the engineering method.

Warnings

Remove your Google account from your device. If you do not do this, then when you turn on the device after a reset, you will be asked for the account that was on the device before the reset.

This change appeared in Android starting from version 5.1 at the initiative of Google.

If you have forgotten or do not know the password for your Google account, you can unlock your device in service center Samsung. You must have with you documents confirming the purchase (receipt, completed warranty card, loan agreement).

If there are no documents, you cannot unlock the device.

If you are working with outdated free version G Suite and want to use this feature, upgrade to G Suite Basic.

A mobile device allows an employee to work with important information and corporate account. If a user leaves your organization or loses their phone, you can remotely remove it from their device. enterprise applications and data, corporate account, work profile, and also erase information. At the same time, corporate data will continue to be available through the browser and from other authorized mobile devices.

Preparation

Determine what to remove from your device

You can delete all applications and data or just the corporate account.

Delete all data if a personal or corporate device is lost or stolen.
Delete your corporate account from an employee’s personal device if he leaves the company.

Exactly what data is deleted depends on the type of device. Detailed information is given in the table below.

Note. IN basic mode Mobile device management cannot delete all applications and data. This feature is only available if you have advanced management options applied and your device has Google app Apps Device Policy (Android), Device Policy profile is configured ( Apple iOS) or using Google Sync (G Suite only).

Device type	Deleting data from your device	Deleting a corporate account
Personal Android device with work profile		The work profile is deleted, including the corporate account, as well as all applications and data associated with it. Personal data and applications are saved.
Personal Android device without work profile	If your device uses an SD card*, data will be deleted from that card as well.	The corporate account is deleted. Personal data and applications are saved.
Enterprise Android device	The device is restored to factory settings.	Not applicable for enterprise devices.
iOS device with iOS Sync for G Suite	All corporate and personal applications, as well as data. The device is restored to factory settings.	The corporate account and managed applications are deleted. Personal data and applications are saved.
Devices Windows Phone, iOS and BlackBerry that use Google Sync (G Suite only)	All corporate and personal data is deleted. The device is restored to factory settings.	Not applicable for devices that sync data when Google help Sync.

*Removal performs a quick wipe rather than a complete wipe of the SD card. Data is only deleted from the primary connected SD cards, but remains on read-only cards.

If you have access to the device

If your device is not lost or stolen and you have access to it, follow the instructions below.

Make sure the user can sign in to the corporate account.
- If the user doesn't know the password, reset it before deleting data from the device. Otherwise, he will be able to log into the device only after 24 hours.
- If your account is blocked, restore it.
If for Android devices Factory reset protection is enabled, make sure you can access it using other admin accounts. These accounts must be active, otherwise the device will be unavailable after restoring factory settings.
Before erase all data or account, log out of your corporate account and delete it.

How to delete data or corporate account from a device

The next time you sync, the information will be deleted and your device settings will be reset (if applicable). Typically, data is deleted from the device within a few minutes, but sometimes this operation can take up to three hours. After this, in the administrator console the device will be assigned the status Data deleted or Account deleted.

Some people change their smartphone or tablet almost as often as they change their clothes. Clearing the device's memory would seem to make it impossible to view the data stored on it. However, it is possible to recover deleted files.

File deleted - check

On most devices, deleting files simply means telling the system that the next time you need to save more data, you can do so in the location where the deleted file was previously located.

However, until a new data write operation is performed, the contents of the file remain on the device in the form of memory bits. Such a file can be restored. IT specialists define this “standard” file deletion as logical data deletion.

There is also another type of data deletion, which involves changing the used bits, thus creating “spam” in the contents of the disk. Data deleted this way cannot be recovered, but the deletion process itself takes longer.

Dangers of standard data deletion

Mobile phones are “highly personal” devices. Their use involves storing data that should not be disclosed to anyone other than the owner, for example, contact details of friends and family, films and photographs (including very intimate ones), a detailed calendar schedule, places where the owner lives in at the moment time, logins and passwords for email and accounts in social networks, content, SMS and much, much more.

In the case of selling a smartphone or tablet, the so-called logical data reset can lead, at best, to a shameful situation of disclosing personal information; at worst, the former owner of the device can become a victim of blackmail, identity theft, or actual theft of money from a bank account.

Restoring settings does not delete data

Research conducted by IT security company ADISA found that Apple devices and BlackBerry, after performing a factory reset, the data is physically deleted, which prevents its recovery in the future. For Android devices, despite performing a factory reset, still it is possible to recover most of the data.

What is this connected with? According to experts from ADISA, the reason for this may be the fact that operating systems such as iOS use a built-in encryption mode. In this case, it is enough that the encryption keys are deleted during a factory reset. While in devices with Android encryption data is not used by default. Therefore, even after performing a factory reset multiple times, you can still recover your data.

How to prepare a smartphone for sale

According to research conducted by security experts, a factory reset can erase all data stored on your Apple device.

What should Android mobile device users do? The easiest way is device encryption, before restoring factory settings. Given that the encryption keys are password protected, installed by user, even if the reset attempt fails, the attacker must perform the attack " brute force" (an attack based on checking all possible combinations in search of a password) to gain access to deleted files. It is worth remembering that what more complex password, the more difficult it will be to pick it up.

Device with Android system can be encrypted using standard function: Settings → Safety> Encrypt device.

The factory reset function is available after entering settings: Settings → Archive and reset → Reset data.

The last step before selling the device is to remove the SIM card and SD card.

No matter how much memory there is in your mobile device, sooner or later it will run out and you will have to get rid of old, unnecessary and simply junk files. Today we will tell you how to clean up junk from your Android phone and free up as much memory as possible.

Content:

Types of memory on Android devices

IN modern smartphones Tablets have several types of memory, each of which performs its own functions:

RAM memory or random access memory. RAM is a type of memory that ensures the operation of launched or already running processes. This buffer memory using any applications, both installed and system ones. Data is quickly written and deleted. RAM memory active when constantly connected to a power source. System information o RAM available in Task manager Managers - here you can see the amount of allocated and free memory.
ROM or ROM memory- a type of memory that performs its functions constantly. ROM does not assume the presence permanent source energy - the memory is not erased, even if the source is turned off. ROM is required for storage in most cases operating platform Android. The data stored in this memory is difficult to change in any way; under normal conditions, it is read-only.
Internal memory - Internal phone storage. This type of memory is provided to the owner of the smartphone so that he can store his data. This list includes files, programs, applications, media content, text information and more. Information about the status, amount of used and free memory is available in the settings menu in the corresponding section.
External Micro memory SD. Any information can be written to flash memory, edited or deleted separate files. The memory card makes it possible to transfer some applications from internal storage, freeing up space for system files. Manufacturers offer large volumes external memory, up to 128 gigabytes.

The easiest and fastest way to clear your phone memory

First easy way— Go to Gallery -> Albums -> Videos or Photos from the camera (if possible, sort the files by size/weight), and then delete the “heaviest” files.
Second easy way— Go to Settings -> Storage -> Cleanup and delete everything junk files, which were found on your phone using this function.

As we already found out at the beginning of the article, the memory in a phone can be different (internal permanent, operational and external-connected).

Devices with the Android operating system almost constantly use RAM and internal memory. You can quickly and easily clean it as follows: standard means, so resort to help third party software. The device will work much faster if it has enough RAM and as much of it as possible. If the internal memory is practically full, then the smartphone will often begin to generate system errors, randomly reboot, freeze and show low performance.

Users who do not yet know how to clean their phone should use the following tools:

Own functionality of the device;
Third-party software designed for a mobile device;
Personal computer;
Online services - cloud storage.

Any of the proposed methods can be considered quite fast, simple and effective in order to clear the memory of an Android phone.

How to clear internal memory on Android

To improve the performance of the device, you need to clear not only the internal memory, but also the RAM.

To check the status and clear the RAM, you must:

Activate system key located on the left or right.
View list open applications in the window that opens.
View the amount of filled RAM.
Click on the cross on the display and clear the RAM occupied by applications.

The system memory used by the operating system cannot be cleared in this way.

If you understand the wisdom third party programs There is no desire or opportunity, you can carry out the procedure manually, after which the device will work much faster. Manual cleaning methods include:

clearing application and browser caches;
deleting messages;
deleting applications that have not been used for a long time;
Cleaning your phone from files stored on it.

Manually clearing Android phone memory takes longer than automatic cleaning, but gives comparable results.

Deleting messages is relevant if the device has been used for several years, and the number text content amounts to thousands of files. Clearing your phone of messages is done like this:

Go to the “message” application from the desktop.
Press one of the messages with your finger.
In the menu that opens, activate the “select all” item.
Activate the “delete” action.

Uninstalling applications in android

Unnecessary applications that take up space can be removed through the menu operating system or on the desktop if the device has proprietary firmware. To do this, the application icon is pinched and removed from the desktop.

Advice: If the Android shell has a full-fledged menu, deleting an icon from the desktop will not lead to the elimination of the application. To remove a program, you need to go to the menu and then press the icon and put it in the trash.

Deleting files in android

The internal storage can also be cleaned using the built-in file manager - standard program, which is available on any Android device. The removal algorithm may differ on devices different manufacturers, but in general the actions need to be performed the same.

On most devices, the algorithm of actions is as follows:

Open your phone's desktop and see application icons.
Find the “files” application and go into it.
The file categories and information about the amount of used memory will appear in the window that opens.
Select a category.
In the list of files that opens, select those that need to be deleted or activate the “select all” command.
Delete files.

Transfer applications to a memory card, PC or cloud

To transfer files to the card you need to resort to File application Explorer. We simply launch the application, find files in the phone’s memory, mark them and indicate their future location.
To transfer files to your PC, just connect your phone within your means USB cable to your computer and copy files as if from a flash drive.
To transfer files to the cloud, install the application Google Drive, enter your Google account information (log in), then click on the “Upload” button and select the files that you want to upload to the cloud. Once the data has been uploaded to the cloud, you can delete it from your mobile phone.

We clear memory automatically using Android and third-party applications. Removing cache and garbage in the browser.

The cache in a mobile device is an intermediate buffer containing information that the user can access in the near future. The cache allows you to save time on computing processes, provides quick access and improves productivity. But, if the file cache accumulates, it begins to slow down the system, taking up a lot of memory space.

You can clear the cache in the following way:

Open the device settings menu.
Find the "all applications" section.
Open application manager.
Open each program in the list one by one and activate the “clear cache” button.

Cleaning your phone of debris accumulated in the browser is done in the following way:

Go to the browser.
Open the menu located on the side.
Activate the “clear history” command.
Install necessary settings: what to delete and for what period of time.
Activate the “delete data” command.

External memory also needs to be cleaned periodically. Cleaning can be gentle (manual selective deletion files) or radical (full formatting (deleting all files) from the memory card). Let's look at each method in more detail.

Manually deleting files

The most productive in manual cleaning is the removal of the “heaviest” files, usually video, audio files or photos high resolution. To delete them, you need to go to the gallery and sort all the files by size, and then delete the heaviest ones.

Tip: If you can’t sort files by size in your mobile device’s gallery, use file manager. For example Total Commander.

Formatting the external memory of the device

Files with external storage can be deleted by performing a full format.

The formatting process consists of the following steps:

Go to Android settings.
Search and go to the “Memory” section.
Selecting the “Disconnect SD card” command.
Exit settings.
Go to settings again.
Find and activate the “Clean memory card” command.

We download applications and files directly to the memory card from the Internet

You can learn how to download applications directly to a memory card as follows:

Go to “settings”.
Open the memory section.
Find a subsection with approximate names: “Main memory” or “Default memory”.
Check the “Memory card” option.

If all steps are completed correctly, all applications will be downloaded to the memory card automatically.

Countless annoying advertising banners, slow work devices - all these are signs of the presence virus programs on the device. Viruses must be removed immediately because malware In addition to minor ones, they cause serious problems - they steal personal information, read user correspondence. To prevent this from happening, you need to install it on your smartphone antivirus program. Any of the well-known antiviruses presented on Play Market.

All you need to do is:

Install any antivirus you like from the Play Market.
Launch the application.
Run a system check.
Wait for the system scan.
Delete malicious files if they were found by the antivirus program.

You can also remove viruses from your smartphone manually. Typically, users resort to this method when antivirus scanning does not produce the desired results.

To be sure to get rid of viruses, you need to do the following:

Go to the settings section.
Find the "Application Manager" tab.
Open the list of applications.
Remove applications that were installed shortly before problems with the device began to operate.
Go to the application menu and activate the “delete” command.

How to completely wipe an Android phone without the ability to restore personal files

The easiest way complete cleaning memory without the ability to restore files - reset to factory settings. The internal memory will be cleared 100 percent, and the user will receive a clean Android.
To reset to factory settings you need:

Go to the “settings” section on your smartphone.
Open the “recovery and reset” section.
Activate the “restore factory settings” command.

Applications to clear phone memory

From the numerous list of applications for cleaning RAM and ROM, users speak well of:

. The application deletes from memory unnecessary files, garbage remaining from the operation of programs, scans the device for the presence malicious files. The program also helps speed up the phone by optimizing already running processes. Some applications are optimized to cool down an overheating processor.
Mobile Boost. This application is a godsend for owners of smartphones that have been working for quite a long time, since it supports old version operating system. To start the cleaning process, you only need to turn on the application and activate the “Clear” button.
SD Maid. When launched, the program will immediately prompt you to scan, after which it will issue a full report on the state of the memory separately for each section. The user can clear everything completely or do selective deletion by sections. The program also has a built-in file manager.

In order not to get confused in the device interface, it is recommended to clear the device memory with simple and understandable software, for example the ES mobile file manager.
The operating algorithm is as follows:

Go to Play Market.
Find the application in the search bar.
Download and install ES Explorer on your smartphone.
Launch Explorer. The program will analyze the quantity free space, will provide a list of files that can be deleted.
Go to the side menu of the program.
Go to the “local storage” section.
Activate the “device” key.
Open a window with folders located in the built-in storage. You can check the contents of each folder and delete unnecessary files.

Libraries with media content are cleaned in the same way. To go to the “library” subsection, you need to select it in side menu programs.
Often Android users cannot see files that take up space in internal memory. In this case, you need to activate the “show hidden files” function in the program.

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Good day!

No matter how “smart” the Android system is, moments still happen to it when you have to resort to resetting the settings (also called Hard Reset). For example, this often happens when there are problems with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, “overloading” of the phone’s memory, when inexplicable slowdowns and freezes appear, etc.

You may also encounter this problem if you suddenly decide to sell your phone (after all, you wouldn’t want a stranger to see your personal correspondence?!).

I would like to point out right away that in the process of resetting from the device memory all applications and games, all SMS messages and contacts will be deleted, accounts mail, etc. In general, the phone/tablet will be completely with factory settings (approximately the same as it was when purchased).

Note! If you have an SD card installed, then all data on it will remain intact * (By at least, this was the case with the devices I worked with)! Those. It is the device memory that is cleared!

Therefore, if you have necessary contacts, photos, videos and files - before resetting, save them to hard drive PC or cloud storage(For example, ).

Actually, now we can get closer to the point...

Method 1: through system settings

Perhaps this is the most obvious and simplest of all methods. Suitable in any case when you can safely enter the Android settings (I know that this is not always possible, so if you have a more global problem, see following points articles).

And so, you need to open the “Backup and Reset” section in the Android settings. See example below.

Then click on the button "Reset your phone" . Please note that the system will also warn you that data will be deleted from Google account, all applications and data in them, music, photos, videos, etc.

Actually, there is nothing more to comment on this method...

Method 2: via Recovery mode (or Factory mode)

If your device is frozen, there is a problem with entering the settings menu - then in this case you can reset it through a special device. menu " Recovery mode/Factory mode".

To call it:

Method 3: Using Service Tags

If you know the special codes, you can quite seriously change the settings of the Android system. There are also codes for resetting the settings (i.e., returning the device to the factory state).

Note! The codes presented below may not be suitable for all devices (especially new ones, which are constantly being modified...). Therefore, all the codes below are presented for reference (I am not responsible for your device and software).

Entering the codes is quite simple. You must go into dialing mode and enter one of the following options:

*2767*3855#
*#*#7378423#*#*
*#*#7780#*#

Enter service code(Don’t “play” with the codes just like that - you can easily erase all the data...)

Method 4: how to delete data from your phone/tablet if it has been lost

Unfortunately, almost everyone has troubles in their life. One of these is the loss of a phone/tablet (I don’t even consider the reason now: whether it was stolen, or just dropped, or something else...). The main thing is that you don’t have it in your hands, but it contains quite a lot of confidential data (and which you would like to delete as soon as possible).

In this case, you need to log into your account from your computer;
Next install the application (direct link to Google Play) . I note that applications can be installed on a smartphone, even if you do not have one at hand.
After which, going to the application website Find My Device, you will be able to:

erase all data from the device;
call it;
or just block.