How to factory reset your phone

We’ve all, after years of owning a phone, accumulated a massive number of videos, images and apps. Now our poor old phone no longer runs in the speedy manner we’ve become accustomed to. Enter the factory reset – or, more importantly, how to factory reset your phone.

There comes a time in all areas of life when you have to press reset. This could be because you’ve found yourself crying in a corner and listening to The Script because your significant other is now an ex-significant other. Other times it could be your phone is a bit slow and you’d like to Google things a bit quicker (or you’re trading it in for a brand spanking new iPhone X). Swings and roundabouts, eh?

Step 1. Back up your iPhone

Make sure you have all those precious memories backed up onto your laptop or Mac. Nothing worse than losing all those 2k10 Ibiza photos that you cherish so much (apart from those ones from that summer you discovered the McFlurry, maybe)…

Step 2. Find the factory reset on your iPhone

Fairly simple, even for the worst of us. Go through your iPhone and open the ‘Settings’ app. Then tap ‘General’, then ‘Reset’. Then tap ‘Erase All Content and Settings’. Nearly there.

Step 3. Enter your passcode

Some phones will ask for a passcode or Apple ID password. Enter it and wait for your phone’s data to erase and return to factory settings.

Step 4. (Just for those who need to reset their iPhone via desktop)

If you have to reset via desktop (for whatever reason) you’ll need to ensure you have the latest version of iTunes on your Mac or PC. Open it, connect your iPhone using the cable that came with your device, then go into the ‘Summary’ tab and click ‘Restore’. Follow the instructions from there.

Step 1. Back up your phone

Much the same as the iPhone, make sure you’ve backed up anything you want to keep ahead of the master reset.

Step 2. Find the factory reset on your Android phone

This can vary slightly from phone to phone, but typically you’ll need to open up your Settings, then tap ‘Back Up and Reset’,  and select ‘Factory Data Reset’, then ‘Reset Phone’. Finally you’ll need to select the ominous ‘Erase Everything’.

Those are all the steps you need to factory reset your phone using your phone settings. You’re welcome, world.