Factory Reset / Clearing Cache before L 5 update what is the real answer?

[jrmt077]

In reading forums about L 5 update and all the problems with different phones, releases, etc., there are always users that swear by doing either a factory reset or a hard cache reset before any major update to avoid most issues. I understand Android not putting an automatic factory reset option in the update routine, but if a hard cache reset is such a universal solution to many problems, why not put it in the update routine or at least as an option to pick from? Has anyone done any actual research if Android recommends this for update problems, or is it already in the update routine and users see a placebo effect when they do it on their own?

 

[SpookDroid]

Actually the factory reset is more useful AFTER an update, not prior. And it's not included as an option because, in theory, it shouldn't be needed.

The fact is that it's not needed, but when things go wrong, it's always better to have a 'clean slate' with the latest OS than to have something that could have possibly not been cleaned up properly.

 

[Rukbat]

but if a hard cache reset is such a universal solution to many problems, why not put it in the update routine or at least as an option to pick from?

It's difficult enough having something to shop on the date Marketing sets for release (with no understanding of what it takes to produce a new version) without adding things like a cache clear. (It's not a "hard cache reset", it's a "system cache clear".)

Has anyone done any actual research if Android recommends this for update problems, or is it already in the update routine and users see a placebo effect when they do it on their own?

It's what's recommended for Linux, which is the operating system in Android phones. Depending on the update, and on how you were using the phone before the update, clearing the system cache may have anywhere from no effect to allowing the phone to work, where it kept crashing before you cleared the cache.

 

[jrmt077]

It's difficult enough having something to shop on the date Marketing sets for release (with no understanding of what it takes to produce a new version) without adding things like a cache clear. (It's not a "hard cache reset", it's a "system cache clear".)

It's what's recommended for Linux, which is the operating system in Android phones. Depending on the update, and on how you were using the phone before the update, clearing the system cache may have anywhere from no effect to allowing the phone to work, where it kept crashing before you cleared the cache.

Yes these are exactly the anecdotal statements we always hear about cache clearing, which would lead you to think it would be part of the update routine program. I don't get at all that it would add complexity to the update time to market, it seems like a relatively simple operation, if it is as benign as everyone seems to think.

 

[ptkelly]

Keep in mind the upgrade process isn't designed for you or, hopefully, for me. It's designed for the guy who, no matter how many warnings were posted, would clear the cache and do the factory reset and then demand to know where is addresses are and where his music went. It's deisgned for the person like one who posted that he didn't care what anyone said, he did not intend to back up any personal data.

I never had Microsoft say that a clean install for their OS was a good idea but I knew it was. And, hes, we had the people who put the new OS on top of the old OS and then wanted to whine. That's life.

I did the upgrade, I then did a factory reset, and I've had no significant problems with Android 5. I am new to Android so I've had some problems that were my responsibility but little by little I've sorted them out.

 

[rrballer11]

So would you say its better to do a factory reset? I doubt I'll lose anything I have it all saved/ backed up I might wait till 5.1, reason: my nexus gets slow sometimes and laggy.

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