How to format the phone
Your phone is already a few years old and, thanks to the intended use you make every day, it has become very slow. At the moment, however, you do not have the economic possibility to buy a new one and you want to know how to format the phone to give it a chance to survive.
Well, if things are actually this way, know that you’re doing the right thing. Formatting an android device or an iPhone / iPad can be useful to temporarily solve problems of slowness due to “old age”. I can therefore certainly help you to do this in the right way, but do not expect miracles from your device, especially if this is particularly dated or it is a low-cost model.
However, if you are interested in learning more about the subject, I suggest you take a few minutes of free time to read the instructions that I will give you in this guide. Keep your device in hand and carry out the steps that I will show you along with me. I wish you a good read.
Index:
- How to format the phone (Android)
– How to format the phone – Preliminary operations
– How to format the phone – How to perform traditional formatting
– How to format the phone – How to format using Recovery - How to format the phone (iPhone)
– How to format the phone – Preliminary operations
– How to format the phone – How to perform traditional formatting
– How to format the phone – How to format using iTunes
How to format the phone (Android)
How to format the phone – Preliminary operations
How to format the phone
The preliminary operation that I suggest you to always run before formatting a device is to save a copy of all the data contained within, then making a backup.
The backup procedure can take place in different ways; For example, you can copy all the data on your device to an SD card and then to the external memory of your device, or save the data to your computer or you can store the data in the cloud via a popular Web service. you make a backup depends on your needs and the data on your device.
To deepen the topic and see in detail the steps to be done to perform a successful backup, I refer you to the reading of my guide dedicated to the topic. In the link that I have provided you will find several procedures step by step that you can follow to perform a backup on your Android device.
How to format the phone
Before proceeding with the formatting I suggest you to do a quick and small check on the synchronization of data online. To do this, tap the gear icon on the main screen of your device, and start the settings app.
On the next screen, tap on Account> Google and verify that syncing is on. If not, check the items that refer to data synchronization for your Google account.
How to format the phone – How to perform traditional formatting
How to format the phone
Once you have backed up, you can proceed to the formatting procedure. I remind you that this operation will erase all applications and, will bring your smartphone or tablet to the factory state: all data on the device will be deleted. You can therefore understand that backup is a crucial preliminary step, if you want to avoid losing the contents of your device.
To begin the device formatting procedure, you must go to the settings of your smartphone or tablet. Then tap the icon with the gear symbol that is on the list of installed apps. This will open the settings screen and you will need to tap the Backup and Restore item.
On the next screen, tap “Factory data reset” and then “Reset phone or reset tablet” (the procedure may vary slightly depending on the model of the Android device you are using) that you will see on the screen.
If you want to prevent the formatting of the smartphone from erasing all the data stored in the internal archive, remove the check mark corresponding to the item Delete internal archive. In the event that you leave the check mark active at that item, formatting will take place in the traditional way, completely deleting all the data stored in the device.
Please also note that if your smartphone or tablet has an expandable memory you can apply the formatting procedure to this. On the factory data reset screen, there may be an additional mention that refers to deleting data on the SD card.
How to format the phone
If this wording is not present, you can format the external memory manually with an alternative procedure. Go back to the settings by tapping on the gear symbol icon. Then tap on the Storage and USB> SD card and then tap the button with the symbol of the three dots located at the top right; from the small drop-down menu that will appear, tap on Formatt or Format as portable memory.
Once you have started formatting your Android phone it will start automatically and you will have to wait for it to finish.
How to format the phone – How to format using Recovery
How to format the phone
An alternative formatting procedure is given by the ability to delete smartphone data using the Recovery mode. In this case you will start a forced shutdown of the device, using a feature that is useful in case you can not perform the traditional formatting.
Just to give you an example: do you want to format your smartphone but this no longer responds to commands and you can not start it? It’s not a problem. You can start formatting by entering Recovery mode. In the following lines I will explain how to act. I remind you that even in this case the phone formatting will erase all the data contained in it.
The first thing you need to do is force the shutdown of your Android device and start the Recovery mode. To do this you must act through the physical buttons of your device and simultaneously press the Volume +, Power (on / off key) and Home keys or the Volume – and Power keys or even just Power + Volume Up.
Press these buttons until the device automatically restarts when you enter Recovery mode. However, keep in mind that the combination of keys that I have indicated may vary slightly depending on the model of the device you are using.
If you fail to enter the Recovery mode I suggest you to check the procedure in the instruction booklet of your device or to search on Google by typing the keywords Key combination Recovery followed by the model name of your device.
Once your device has entered the Recovery mode you must start the Wipe Data / Factory Reset option which will be visible on the screen. If you do not see this word, you will need to move to the Recovery mode screen using the Volume – and Volume + keys.
If at the end of the formatting your device does not automatically restart and returns to the Recovery mode, press the word Reboot to restart it.
How to format the iPhone phone
How to format the phone – Preliminary operations
How to format the phone
Even if you want to format your iPhone, the first thing you need to do is to back up all the data on your device.
I remind you that this procedure is very important to be able to recover all the data contained in it after formatting. Do not forget that the backup is a procedure that can be done in different ways: you can decide whether to save the data of your device on your computer or in the cloud through the popular service offered by Apple.
To learn more, and see step by step how to properly back up all the data on your iPhone, I refer you to the reading of my guide dedicated to the topic.
Backup procedure apart from what I also suggest you to do before formatting the device is the deactivation of the service Find my iPhone. This option must be deactivated in order to start the factory reset procedure for the phone.
How to format the phone
To disable the Find My iPhone service, tap the gear symbol app from the main screen of your device and, once you have viewed the iOS Settings section, tap on your name and then on the word iCloud.
From the next screen, tap the word Find My iPhone and move the lever from ON to OFF to turn it off. You will now be asked to confirm the procedure by entering the password of your Apple ID and then press the Deactivate button to confirm it.
How to format the phone – How to perform traditional formatting
How to format the phone
To format a device like an iPhone or an iPad, my advice is to first act through the device settings. Apple smartphones and tablets have a function that allows you to quickly and easily restore to factory settings without having to use computers. Do not worry, I will guide you step by step in the following lines; you will see that you will not be able to make mistakes.
The first thing you need to do is tap on the Settings icon that you can find on the main screen of your device is the one with the gear symbol. From the settings screen, then tap on the item General and then scroll to the next screen until you find the word Reset.
After you have taped on it you also tap on the item Initialize content and settings; in this way you will restore your smartphone to the factory and delete all the settings and all the data contained in it. To confirm this operation, you will need to enter the unlock code of your device and then press the button that will appear at the bottom of the screen.
I remind you as usual that this procedure will completely erase the contents of your device; you can therefore understand that it was extremely necessary to perform the backup as a preliminary operation.
If you have not backed up due to a forgetfulness, I recommend you tap the Restore settings instead of the Initialize content and settings heading. In this way you will reset your device to the factory settings but you will not delete the data contained in it.
How to format the phone – How to format using iTunes
How to format the phone
Alternatively, you can format your iPhone or iPad using a PC or Mac and using iTunes software. If you want to proceed in this way you must first check that the software in question has been installed on your Windows PC. On Mac instead, the program is included as standard.
In case you have not yet installed the program on your Windows PC by going to the Apple website and downloading it by clicking on the Download 32bit or Downlad 64bit button. If you need more instructions on how to download this program that refers to reading my guide dedicated to the topic.
At this point, to carry out the formatting procedure of your iPhone through iTunes, you will have to connect the device to the computer with the Lightning / Dock cable that will have been supplied.
How to format the phone
Then start the iTunes program if it does not start automatically and, after the connection between the iPhone and computer has started, click on the icon with the phone symbol that appears at the top left. At this point you will be on the summary screen and you will have to click on the Reset iPhone item.
How to format the phone