What Happens When You Format Your Phone?

Call it a hard reset, factory reset, or format the phone – they’re all scary terms. And they should be. Why? Because the reactions are so heavy. What are these repercussions? Find out the answer in this post where we tell you what happens when you factory reset your Android or iPhone.

Factory reset will delete everything in your phone’s internal storage. Now many things like apps, files, settings, contacts, data like messages can be found there. What happened to them?

We intend to clear your confusion. Let’s see what happens when a phone is hard reset.

What Happens to the System Operating System?

You must be wondering what happens to your operating system when you format your phone. Do you need to reinstall? Answer is no. Formatting the phone does not remove existing software from your phone. By current we mean the software version that was active before you reset your phone.

For example, if your Android phone came with Android 9.0 Pie and was later updated to Android 10, formatting will restore Android 10, not Android Pie. The same goes for iOS. If you have the latest version installed, the phone keeps a safe area of ​​your storage in this part and uses it as a backup to restore things to their factory state.

What Happens to Apps When You Hard Reset Your Phone?

To make things clear, most of the pre-installed apps remain and revert to the factory version of the operating system. However, formatting/resetting the phone will remove any apps you manually installed from the Google Play Store (Android) or App Store (iPhone). You will need to reinstall them.

Also, you will lose data associated with such apps unless they offer a backup feature and you don’t use it. For example, if you have the game Candy Crush installed on your phone, formatting the phone will delete the game. However, if you have logged in with an account in the game, you will be at the same level when you reload.

If you purchased an app, you don’t have to pay again after formatting the phone. Install using the same Google account (Android) or Apple ID (iPhone) that was originally used to download.

On the contrary, apps that come pre-installed on your phone will automatically reappear when you format the phone. However, the data of these apps will also be wiped and it would be wise to make a backup.

What Happens to Call Logs, Contacts, and Messages?

A few of the top concerns when considering formatting or resetting your phone are Contacts, Messages and Call logs. When you format the phone, you will lose your call history and messages unless you take a backup. You can use the native Backup feature available on Android and iPhone or download third-party backup apps.

As for contacts, they will also be deleted. But if you use Google or iCloud to sync contacts, you can restore them when you add the same accounts to phones after formatting.

Pro Tip: Check our guide to learn how to backup contacts on any Android phone.

What Happens to Data in Memory and SIM Card?

Formatting your phone does not affect the data stored in your memory or SIM card. Your photos and other data on your SD Card and contacts on SIM are safe. You will need to format them separately. However, we recommend that you remove them from your phone before formatting your phone.

What Happens to the Settings?

Since a hard reset erases everything, this also means that it will revert all your customizations to their default values. Your Wi-Fi passwords, paired Bluetooth devices, home screen customizations, ringtone selection and other settings will be removed.

If you don’t want to reinstall your device from scratch, you should back up your phone before formatting it. When you do this, the customizations made in the settings will be reflected again when you restore the phone. Check out how to backup phone below.

What Happens to Photos?

If the photos are stored in your phone’s internal storage, they will be deleted with a hard reset. However, if you’re using photo storage services like Google Photos or iCloud Photos, there’s no need to worry. These apps take backup of your photos. Even after formatting your phone, your photos will be safe on them. Another alternative is to move them to the microSD card if your phone does and supports the expansion slot.

What Happens to Files and Other Data?

Similar to other things, after resetting your phone, PDF, audio etc. Your files will also be removed. If your phone supports it, you should move them to SD card or use cloud storage services.

Does Factory Reset Delete Google Drive and iCloud Files?

The short answer is no. Since both are cloud services, the data in them is always synced to the cloud. So you won’t lose your Google Drive files or iCloud data when you format your phone. However, you will need to sign in to these services again to view the data.

How to Backup Your Phone

To back up your device settings, call logs, SMS and contacts, you should use the backup feature available on Android and iPhone.

To access on Android, go to Settings > System > Backup. Activate the pass.

Open Settings on iPhone and tap your name. Next, tap iCloud and then iCloud Backup. Enable iCloud Backup toggle.

How to Format Your Phone

Let’s check the steps to hard reset your Android and iPhone.

How to Factory Reset Android Phone

Stage 1: Open Settings on your phone and go to System or General Management.

Step 2: Tap on Reset. Next, tap on Factory data reset or Erase all data. Confirm on the next screen.

Factory Reset iPhone

Stage 1: Open Settings on your iPhone. Tap on General.

step 2: Tap on Reset. Tap on Erase All Content and Settings.

Pro Tip: Find out what other reset options do on iPhone.

When Should You Factory Reset Your Phone?

Factory reset is like moving to a new phone, at least in terms of software. You should only reset your phone when absolutely necessary. For example, if you are selling your phone, we highly recommend resetting and formatting your phone along with the microSD card.

If you face any problem with your phone, resetting it should be your last resort. Typically, most problems are resolved by following various troubleshooting tips and a reset is not necessary. Only do this if the problem persists for longer. When you decide to format the phone, create a backup before taking the hard step.

Next: Still wondering if creating a backup is a good choice? Learn why you should back up your iPhone to iCloud or a computer in the next link.