How to Format an Android Phone and Make It Like New (2022 Methods)

There are several ways to format your Android phone, and today we are going to see the most effective ways. It should be noted that this guide is used to format Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, LG and any other brand of Android cell phones.

If you are going to sell or give away your cell phone, or simply plan to stop using it because you bought a new one, you probably already know that the first thing you should do is format the phone to be sure to delete any and all data stored on its microSD memory. internal and external –if any–, and thus prevent the future user of the device from accessing the information, putting their privacy at risk.

“Formatting” is a process that is known as such, as in computing, “formatting” a memory or storage disk implies reverting it to its original state or modifying its logical structure to a new state that allows data to be stored again through other devices. Whatever the purpose, one of the consequences of formatting a memory is that all information is deleted.

What happens when you format a cell phone?

As we said at the beginning, the purpose of formatting a cell phone is to leave it as the factory, which implies deleting all the data and files that we store when using it.

This means that if you have WhatsApp images, gallery photos, installed games and any other file types, they will no longer be there after formatting.

Therefore, it is a good idea to create a complete phone backup to preserve the data and be able to access it later. And, if you only care about your chats, you can also create a copy of WhatsApp.

How to format a cell phone? The best ways to do it

Android smartphones have more and more memory, but formatting them is still the most effective way to save space

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, before formatting a cell phone it is worth making sure that we are not going to lose anything of value or that we want to keep. If you’ve already created a backup, this shouldn’t matter too much as you can recover your data later.

Format a cell phone in system settings

The first of the options that we recommend you to run is, in addition, the one that is integrated directly into the operating system settings.

This option is intended to delete any and all data included in the phone’s internal storage such as email and user accounts, app and system settings, downloaded apps and games, music, videos, photos and all other data that, during the period of using the phone, you may have stored on it.

Logically, this process will not delete the data stored in the cloud or your Google account settings , but the accounts associated with these services so that the future owner of the phone cannot access the information. The steps to follow are as follows:

1. Open system settings and go to the “System” category.
2. Find the “Recovery Options” category and go to “Erase All Data”.
3. Read the instructions carefully and when it is clear to you, click on the “Reset Phone” button.

During the process, the device will reboot several times. Once finished, the internal storage will be completely clean .

Format a cell phone through recovery

At the time, we already explained what a partition is and what it is for recovery along with the rest of the partitions that make up the operating system.

In a nutshell, it is a recovery partition to access in case of emergency and which among its functions offers the possibility of formatting the phone to eliminate all data from the device’s storage, as well as the possibility of carrying out other more advanced procedures .

Delete mobile information from recovery menu It is a process very similar to the previous process, with the difference that unless we select it, user data such as images, videos or photos will not be deleted. To do this, you must follow these steps:

1. Enter the recovery menu. The key combination will be different depending on the phone, but the most common is “Volume Down + Power” while the phone is off.
2. Once inside, look for the “Wipe data/factory reset” option. Use the volume keys to scroll through the menu and the power button to select.
3. Accept the process and wait for it to finish.

When and Why You Might Need to Format Your Phone

At the beginning I commented that formatting the cell phone is a best practice when changing the cell phone and intending to sell or donate the old one. However, performing this process can be useful at other times even when you will continue to use the same device.

For example, if your cell phone doesn’t work well and you’ve been using it for several years non-stop, your phone’s internal storage may be full of junk that is slowing down its performance, and your phone’s performance may have little to do with how it works. 

that you liked when you bought it. In this case, even if it seems like something from the last century, it can be useful to format the phone and start from scratch, something that will also help you to recover all that storage space occupied by unnecessary files.

Another time when it is not only recommended, but sometimes mandatory to format the mobile, is when changing ROMs or trying to go back to the software with which the phone originally came into your hands . 

As some ROMs use different structures than others, and memory needs to be handled in a specific way, it is not recommended to install one ROM on top of another without formatting the phone –what is known as “dirty installation”–. So, before installing a ROM, make sure of your requirements.

Finally, another of the cases where you may need to format the phone happens when it has been infected by some kind of malware or virus. Your phone doesn’t need antivirus, but that doesn’t mean it’s immune to all threats . 

One of the quickest ways to get rid of any malicious software that has managed to get onto your phone is to completely wipe all data from your internal storage.

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