Factory Reset/Hard Reset for Trading in Phones: 2 Methods, which is better?

[Dualmonitors]

There are apparently TWO ways to properly factory reset a phone, i.e. my S21 Ultra, in order to prepare it to be sent in back to Samsung for Trade-in purposes.

1) gear icon/search for RESET/Factory Data Reset

2) a series of power button+volume UP button presses, where the screen goes into a mode with tiny fonts, then using volume up and down as navigation up and down buttons, and using the power button as select button.

May I ask what the difference(s) might be for those two methods please?

thank you.

 

[sweetypie31]

There is no difference really. One is just easier to get to.

 

[bandofbrothers2112]

I log out of all my accounts in tbe phone and then factory reset.

 

[Dualmonitors]

I log out of all my accounts in tbe phone and then factory reset.

is it really necessary to log out of all accounts if we're going to do a factory reset?

wouldn't factory reset ERASE all accounts including logged in accounts?

 

[waqqas31]

is it really necessary to log out of all accounts if we're going to do a factory reset?

wouldn't factory reset ERASE all accounts including logged in accounts?

In one word: YES

 

[waqqas31]

is it really necessary to log out of all accounts if we're going to do a factory reset?

wouldn't factory reset ERASE all accounts including logged in accounts?

If you don't sign out of your Google account and you have set a PIN, the next person setting up the phone will not be able to do so without entering the PIN. Then Samsung will reject the trade-in.

 

[mustang7757]

There are apparently TWO ways to properly factory reset a phone, i.e. my S21 Ultra, in order to prepare it to be sent in back to Samsung for Trade-in purposes.

1) gear icon/search for RESET/Factory Data Reset

2) a series of power button+volume UP button presses, where the screen goes into a mode with tiny fonts, then using volume up and down as navigation up and down buttons, and using the power button as select button.

May I ask what the difference(s) might be for those two methods please?

thank you.

Thought I explained it here ?

https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=1040027

 

[Dualmonitors]

Thought I explained it here ?

https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=1040027

@mustang7757: thank you. so, in summary (again) --

one does NOT need to log out of every account, including every google account,
because by doing gear/search for reset/Factory Data Reset WILL ERASE EVERYTHING
and thus, there is NO NEED to go log out of so many accounts that we're logged into,
right?

it's just that there are so many misinformed opinions that kept saying that we must log out
of various google accounts before we do the factory reset, that i wanted to be absolutely certain.

thank you again. sorry to ask yet another time. much appreciated.

 

[mustang7757]

@mustang7757: thank you. so, in summary (again) --

one does NOT need to log out of every account, including every google account,
because by doing gear/search for reset/Factory Data Reset WILL ERASE EVERYTHING
and thus, there is NO NEED to go log out of so many accounts that we're logged into,
right?

it's just that there are so many misinformed opinions that kept saying that we must log out
of various google accounts before we do the factory reset, that i wanted to be absolutely certain.

thank you again. sorry to ask yet another time. much appreciated.

Yeah if you go to setting factory reset explains it all and the proper way of doing this , recovery factory reset doesn't remove account

 

[Borgie]

If you don't sign out of your Google account and you have set a PIN, the next person setting up the phone will not be able to do so without entering the PIN. Then Samsung will reject the trade-in.

Never have signed out of accounts, just did a factory reset, never had a trade in rejected.

 

[donm527]

Never have signed out of accounts, just did a factory reset, never had a trade in rejected.

Doesn't doing a factory reset in settings require you to log out of your Google account before proceeding?

I thought it did.

Unlike doing a hardware reset where it will erase your phone but during setup it will ask you for your FRP password at some point.

 

[Dualmonitors]

@mustang7757: as so many folks would be doing trade-ins, and there's a confusion of terminology and methodology, may i please suggest that you kindly consider please doing a sticky outlining two options for resetting to factory settings for preparation of shipping the trade-in phone back to Samsung?

1) gear icon/search for reset/Factory Data Reset

2) "Recovery Factory Reset" = volume up + power, then using volume up and down as up and down arrows to navigate, then using power button to select factory reset. THIS METHOD DOES NOT ERASE YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNTS.

something like this above as a sticky might be useful for many, as it defines which method of reset is called what, plus it contains the steps.

thank you kindly for your consideration.

 

[mustang7757]

@mustang7757: as so many folks would be doing trade-ins, and there's a confusion of terminology and methodology, may i please suggest that you kindly consider please doing a sticky outlining two options for resetting to factory settings for preparation of shipping the trade-in phone back to Samsung?

1) gear icon/search for reset/Factory Data Reset

2) "Recovery Factory Reset" = volume up + power, then using volume up and down as up and down arrows to navigate, then using power button to select factory reset. THIS METHOD DOES NOT ERASE YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNTS.

something like this above as a sticky might be useful for many, as it defines which method of reset is called what, plus it contains the steps.

thank you kindly for your consideration.

Made this a sticky for reference

 

[Laura Knotek]

Made this a sticky for reference

Good. That will be very helpful to many people.

 

[Borgie]

Doesn't doing a factory reset in settings require you to log out of your Google account before proceeding?

I thought it did.

Unlike doing a hardware reset where it will erase your phone but during setup it will ask you for your FRP password at some point.

Well when I pick factory reset in settings it says nothing about logging out of accounts. And as I said, I have never had a trade in rejected for not signing out of accounts.

 

[mrluky60]

Factory data reset is all you have to do, period.

 

[KingSlayerNYC]

Lmao at people who think they have to log out of accounts.

Factory reset is be all end all. Everything goes. Including ANY imaginable account you are logged into. Including apps. Including the Secure Folder. Everything.

You don't "need" to logout of anything.

 

[donm527]

Then what it sounds like is that because you are initiating a factory reset by software, since the phone is unlocked when doing so it assumes that you are the owner of the phone and okay to erase it.

Unlike iOS where you might be able to unlock a person's device but if they have their iTunes account set up on it if they go to factory erase the device they cannot without the iTunes account.

So if you're lucky to steal an Android device while it's still unlocked you can quickly do a factory reset and the phone will be all free for you to use. But if you steal a device when it's still locked and do a hardware factory reset then you are out of luck because they will ask you for your Google password when going through setup after an erase.

Sound about right?

Lmao at people who think they have to log out of accounts.

Factory reset is be all end all. Everything goes. Including ANY imaginable account you are logged into. Including apps. Including the Secure Folder. Everything.

You don't "need" to logout of anything.

 

[donm527]

I'm curious if someone steals an Android device and does a hardware factory reset but is stuck because it requires the Google password is a thief able to bypass it by using Odin and reflashing the software?

 

[SpaceyO]

Lmao at people who think they have to log out of accounts.

Factory reset is be all end all. Everything goes. Including ANY imaginable account you are logged into. Including apps. Including the Secure Folder. Everything.

You don't "need" to logout of anything.

Why are you lyao at people that want to take an extra step to be sure, themselves?

You don't wanna sign out, don't sign out, but don't lyao at those that take 30 seconds to sign out of an account or two.

Jeez....