Our smartphones are essentially like mini-computers in our pockets. This means that just like computers, from time to time they start to act a bit weird. Apps stop running the way they should, you start seeing strange glitches, your phone is lagging for seemingly no reason, so what can you do?
Simple… reset.
Do note that when it comes to resetting, there are two types of resets. One is known as a soft reset. With a soft reset, you are basically rebooting the device. Typically no data is lost and it’ll take you less than a minute before your phone is up and running again. The next type of reset is known as a hard reset or a factory reset. This completely wipes your phone and you’ll have to start all over again.
There is no right or wrong choice here and it’s a matter of preference. Usually, you might choose to do a soft reset to see if it solves the problem. If it doesn’t and you’ve completely exhausted all your options, then a hard/factory reset might be worth considering.
Sometimes apps or incorrect tinkering can result in system files getting corrupted. As such, a soft reset won’t fix the issue. This is where a factory reset of a phone comes in. Like we said, this will result in your phone completely wiping, meaning you lose all apps and files and system settings.
Before performing a hard reset, you’ll want to make sure that you have everything backed up first because once it’s gone, it’s going to be pretty difficult, if not impossible, to get it back. If you haven’t backed up your phone yet, you can check out our guide on how to backup your Android phone.