Samsung Galaxy S4 is very popular and once you become the proud owner of this smartphone, you will enjoy its initial performance and features. However, after intense usage, a large number of photos, a legion of apps and more, the phone may be over capacity and you will notice that its performance is not what it used to be. If your Samsung Galaxy 4 has slowed down considerably, you may be thinking about getting a fresh new start by restoring it to Factory settings.
Before going ahead with a factory reset for your Galaxy S4, it is important to keep in mind that there are two options to reset different parts of the device’s storage. One would be a regular Galaxy S4 reset, while the other option may be considered as a hard reset. In this article we will take a look at them.
Wipe cache partition
This reset wipes out common files stored by the system cache partition. While the purpose of cache partition is to enable quicker access to apps, the system may stop running smoothly after a while due to cluttering. Clearing this cache will not cause loss of personal data or settings, which is why in general it is considered as a safer option to improve the system’s performance. These are the steps that you can follow to perform this reset.
1. Turn off your phone
2. Press and hold these three buttons simultaneously: Volume Up key, Home key and Power key.
3. Once the phone starts vibrating, release the power key button but keep the Volume Up key and the Home Key pressed.
4. Once the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume up and Home keys.
5. Next, press the Volume Down key to mark Wipe cache partition
6. Press the Power key. Once the cache is wiped, the phone will restart automatically.
Master reset
The second type of reset that you can perform on a Galaxy S4 is known as Master reset. This would restore the original factory settings, which would get rid of everything saved on the device, including your personal data and settings. This means that you could lose your contacts, ringtones, photos, apps and more. Before attempting this kind of reset, backing up is a must. Once you have saved your data, there are two methods to reset your Samsung Galaxy S4 to Factory settings. You can do it with hardware keys or via the Settings menu. In case your phone is not responding, you will need to reset using the hardware keys. Below are the two methods to perform a Master reset and the steps you need to follow for each of them.
Settings menu method
1. Tap the Menu key from any Home screen.
2. Select Settings and then the Accounts tab.
3. Tap Backup and reset.
4. You can tap Automatic restore/ backup my data to clear the check box
5. Tap Factory data reset
6. Tap Reset device
7. If you have screen lock turned on, you will need to enter your password or PIN, then tap Continue.
8. Select Delete all.
Hardware keys method
1. Turn off the phone
2. Press Volume Up key, Home key and Power key at the same time.
3. Once the phone starts vibrating, release the Power key but keep pressing the Volume Up and Home keys.
4. When the Android System Recovery screen appears, let go of the Volume Up and Home keys.
5. Hold the Volume down key to mark wipe data/factory reset
6. Press the Power button and then press the Volume down key to highlight Delete all user data.
7. Hold the Power button to select and start the master reset. Once the master reset is completed, Reboot system now will appear highlighted.
8. Press the Power key to restart your phone.
