There are many reasons that can lead us to want to format our mobile. We may need to remove all traces of our activity in the face of an impending sale, or we may be forced by malware. In any case, being able to format easily is always necessary, and we do have several methods to do it better on Android.
It is a moment that many times we do not want to come, but fortunately, formatting a mobile phone can be a less cumbersome process than formatting a PC has traditionally involved. We are going to see the main methods, and we will start from the base that you will have put your personal data safe with the corresponding backup copies. It is not necessary to remember, that the formatting of the mobile will eliminate any installed application , taken photo or configuration that we have.
Methods to format the mobile
Classic method
This system is the fastest and should be done when the mobile does not present any serious operating problem. It can be done from the mobile settings themselves and the process will not take more than a few minutes. Then the mobile will turn on again and we will have to configure everything from scratch.
For this and although it depends on each model, we go to Settings / System / Reset factory settings . In some devices this option may be within the Security settings.
Classic but faster
It is the same method but accessible much faster. If we have a search drawer in the Settings menu, we will only have to type Reset or Restore to quickly find the function.
From recovery mode
This method is widely used by both technical service professionals and all those users who install Roms from the microSD card. In addition to formatting our device, it also allows us to clean the cache. To enter and format the mobile from this mode, we will have to use a combination of keys that varies in each model (simultaneously press the power button, start and volume up in Samsung and Huawei) In all of them we will have to turn off the terminal and turn on the mobile by combining. Once inside we will select the option “ Wipe Data / Factory Reset to proceed with the formatting.
From the PC
This method requires Fastboot software to be installed, in addition to your mobile drivers. To use this method we will have to follow several steps for the formatting to be carried out correctly.
- Start the device in fastboot or bootloader mode. Generally, with the phone turned off, (simultaneously pressing and holding the power and volume down buttons) We will have to keep them on until the mobile starts
- Now we will have to connect the mobile to the PC with the USB cable and wait for the installation of the drivers to be completed.
- We run the ADB and Fastboot tool and enter the fastboot devices command and press the Enter key. Now a string will be displayed and then the word “fastboot”, confirming that the device is compatible and ready to receive commands.
- Finally we will have to enter the fastboot erase userdata command by which the reset progress will begin and will show the word “finished” at the end. Now we just have to restart the computer and proceed to configure it again, using the fastboot reboot command.
Google does it to you
If our objective is to format the mobile because we have lost it or we simply want to use an alternative method, we can do it from the Find My Device tool from Google . We will have to log into Google with the same account that we have on our mobile, and go to this link. In the lower option we will see the one to perform the formatting of the mobile.
