Set up an Android phone again - how it works
This practical tip explains how you can set up your Android phone again and what you should consider.
1. Back up all data by backup
Before you start to set up your Android phone again, you should back up any data that you do not want to lose - such as contacts, SMS, pictures or music files.
- If you have set up your contacts as Google contacts, they will be automatically synchronized with your Google account. If this is not the case, use a backup app such as G Cloud Backup.
- You should use a backup app for your SMS; such as SMS Backup +. With this app you can save SMS, MMS and the history of your calls and restore them later.
- If you use WhatsApp, you should also save your messages here. Instructions can be found here.
- The easiest way to back up your pictures and music files is to copy them to your PC. To do this, connect your mobile phone to the PC, copy the files and save them to any directory on your PC.
- You can back up all files that are linked to Google - such as your emails from Google, photos on Google+ or calendar entries via your Google account. Navigate in the settings of your smartphone to "Accounts", select "Google" and then under "Accounts" your Google account. Here you will find an overview of all files and apps that are backed up via your Google account with a time of the last backup. To create a backup manually, press the check mark to the right of the corresponding entry to remove it. Press again to reset it. The synchronization is then carried out directly.
- Scores cannot be saved without root rights! However, if you have a smartphone with root rights, you can use Titanium Backup to save your saves. These can be easily restored.
2. Reset the Android phone to factory settings
When you have backed up all important data, you can reset your Android phone to its factory settings. This will cause all files to be lost, so make sure that you have backed up everything important beforehand! To reset your Android phone to its factory settings, proceed as follows:
- Go to Settings and look for "Backup & Reset". or "reset". Sometimes this option is also under "Security" or "Storage".
- Often there are still remnants of old, uninstalled apps on the internal SD card. So that these are also removed, you should check the box "Delete internal SD card".
- Press "Reset phone" to reset your Android phone to its factory settings. You will usually receive a warning message that all files will be deleted. Confirm this warning message by pressing "Delete all".
- All files and folders are deleted from the internal phone memory and from the internal SD card. However, the operating system remains unaffected by this, so you do not have to carry out an update later.
3. Format the external SD card
If you have an external SD card (microSD card), you can also format it. The following also applies here: Back up all files that are on it beforehand! There are two ways you can format your SD card:
- If you have a card reader and an adapter from microSD to SD, remove the microSD card from your mobile phone and connect it to your PC using the card reader. Open My Computer (Computer), right click on the appropriate removable disk and select "Format". Uncheck "Quick Format" and click "Start" to start the process.
- Alternatively, you can leave the microSD card in your cell phone and connect the cell phone to your PC via a USB cable as a removable disk. The microSD card is also recognized as a removable disk. Open My Computer (Computer), right click on the appropriate removable disk and select "Format". Uncheck "Quick Format" and click "Start" to start the process.
4. Set up the cell phone again
After following these steps, you can restart your Android phone. The first thing you need to do is set up your Google account. All data that you have synchronized via your Google account, such as contacts or emails, is automatically restored. You can then install the apps you want, restore all other data and files, and set up your Android phone to your liking.
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