Remote deletion of data from the phone. How to completely clean your Android phone

These tips will come in handy for those who are about to get rid of their Android phone or tablet. On a modern smartphone, you can find a bunch of personal information - from passwords for social networks and mail to pin codes for bank cards and private photos.

It would seem that, delete personal data simple - through the button "Delete". Advanced users will also advise to do factory reset. But this is not enough, simply recovering deleted data is easy, and after resetting to factory settings, files may remain on the memory card and, especially after custom firmware, even in system memory.

Step-by-step instructions for deleting personal data from an android device

First of all, copy all important information to another device.

Next step for the paranoid. Find the section in the smartphone settings “Accounts” and delete each account manually.

It is not necessary to delete each account individually, except for personal peace of mind. You can start with the next step.

Go to section "Memory" and see what memory is the default. If MicroSD, then switch the memory to internal and reboot the phone.

Then format the memory card.

Then go to section “Backup and Reset” and do a factory reset: “Reset DRM” And "Reset".

Resetting to factory settings will delete all data from the device and return it to its original form.

Format the memory card and reset to factory settings, do a couple of times in a different sequence: first format and reset, then vice versa. Then find the information on how to enter the recovery on your phone, and do a hard reset from the recovery through hard reset or factory reset(may be called either way).

That's it, now there is nothing left on your android smartphone or tablet no personal information.

Problems related to the speed of a smartphone are very relevant these days, and any owner of a modern device would not want to face them. But, unfortunately, even any top-end flagship will start to “fail” after months of operation. We want to please you, because this problem has a solution. This article will help you get rid of "lags" on your phone. Specifically, we will consider ways to clear the phone completely on Android, if you plan to continue using it yourself, or decide to sell your gadget.

Step-by-step instructions for cleaning an android device

Looking for a brand new smartphone, but want to sell the old one before buying? Did you give the phone a proper presentation, but you can not return its former performance? We need to prepare the phone for sale. How to clean your phone completely?

All current mobile devices running the Android operating system are tied to an individual postal address. Therefore, when selling, having viruses and just cleaning, you need to quickly clean the phone “to zero”. This goal can be achieved in several ways:

Return to factory settings.
hard reset.

Return to factory settings

How to completely reset a Samsung phone to factory settings? The method is very simple, so we recommend it first:

Go to "Settings", find the item "Backup and reset" and select it.
In the menu that opens, select "Reset settings".
The system will notify you one last time that all data and profiles will disappear from the device.

After rebooting the phone, you will see pure Android.

hard reset

Important! You must fully charge your smartphone before this procedure.

Turn off your phone. Now you need a keyboard shortcut. There are some of the most common variations:

Volume up or down key + power key.
Both volume keys + power key.
Volume up or down key + home key + power key.

Important! The combination should bring up the Recovery menu, it is controlled by the volume keys, and the choice is made with the power button.

You need to find the factory reset item and select it. We agree with the choice and wait for the start of the smartphone cleaning procedure.

There is an opinion that standard device cleaning tools are not as effective as data deletion tools offered by different companies. How to completely clean the phone in other ways?

Encryption. Encryption will help you keep your personal data even when all personal data is not erased. You can encrypt the device in the settings, in the "security" section.
If you lose your device, you can remotely delete all data using Google services. Log in to the account that is linked to the smartphone and use the "delete data" button.
Cleaning the device not only allows you to clean the phone before selling, but can also solve various problems with smartphone operation.
You can always back up your device if for some reason you don't want to lose your personal data. To do this, go to “personal data” and select “Backup and reset”, in that menu you can enable the data backup option.

Important! All instructions above are relevant for new versions of android and may differ slightly on different devices.

If you need a “clean” phone for sale, then in order to speed up the performance of the device, it is not always necessary to demolish everything “under the root”. There are many programs that can keep the system clean.

Programs for android

You can get rid of “lags” and freezes. What is needed for this? Most often, it is enough to install special applications that will help clean up and speed up the system.

There is a list of tips to get rid of the "brakes":

Clean your cache regularly.
Don't be afraid to do a hard reset.
Keep the firmware up to date and update the software as needed.
Do not litter the internal memory of the phone.
Do not connect the synchronization of services you do not need.

clean master. It has many functions and is ideal for cleaning up accumulated “garbage”. Equipped with its own antivirus (works online).
360 security. It has a similar functionality, but is famous for its energy saving.
D.U. speed booster. Ideal for "speeding up" work.
powerclean. Equipped with an excellent task manager.
CM security. Keeps up with other applications and has a special antivirus with multi-level protection.

Getting rid of "garbage"

You will not have to set up your phone as often as you will get rid of the garbage on it. Cache from surfing the Internet, the consequences of running applications in the background - this is only a small part of the sources of so-called "pollution". Let's try to analyze the cleaning process in more detail using the Clean Master program as an example.

Clean Master is a very convenient, intuitive and functional application for cleaning the internal memory of the phone, which also knows how to speed up and optimize the performance of android devices. In order to carry out the procedure, you need to launch the application itself, select "Junk" and "Clear".

Important! The application will prompt you to do an advanced cleaning and notify you that this section may contain important data. Be careful!

On the example of using the Clean Master program, you got acquainted with maintaining cleanliness on mobile devices. Nobody forbids using other software. The interface on such programs will not let you get confused and will help you to finish the job.

This article should help you clean your android device from unnecessary information and erase files you don't need. We hope that now you can calmly solve the problem of “freezing” of the samsung phone or give it a factory “state” with characteristic speed. If this article did not help you solve your problem and fix the device, we recommend that you contact the nearest service center or consult a qualified technician.

Google has finally developed a special tool that allows owners to find their lost Android smartphones. The "search" function is available even to those who have not updated the software, and therefore have not installed special applications or changed settings. A lost smartphone can not only be found on the map, but also use the function of deleting user information remotely. Also, a tool from Google allows you to make a remote call when the smartphone has been stolen or found, and the SIM card has been replaced by a new owner.

What you need to find an Android phone

There is no need to install special utilities or change parameters and settings in order to find your smartphone by displaying its location on a Google map. And if you need to dial your phone number remotely, there is also nothing to change or download.

But all user information from a lost mobile device can be deleted only with certain settings. This is done simply and completely free of charge: in Device administrators, you must check the corresponding item and agree with the changed settings. Just two clicks open up new possibilities for you. You won't need to download any utilities to find your lost phone or perform some actions remotely from a PC or any device where you have access to a Google account.

And even if you are pedantic, attentive and absolutely sure that you will never lose your mobile device, we recommend that you do not neglect the opportunity to get new features. Is there a little...

To take advantage of the new features from the operating system developer, you need to have any Android mobile device that is linked to a Google account.

On a note! Until three years ago, only users of Google business accounts had access to Device Administrator. Now Android remote control is also available on standard accounts. And there was an option on the mobile device by default, without updating software and setting certain parameters. The option is available to all users without exception, since it is tied not to the operating system, but to the account.

Enable Android Remote Control

To use the new find my phone feature, you must enable it because it is disabled in the preset settings. The function is enabled in the smartphone settings, in the “Security” item.

Remote management is located on the Device Administrators tab.

In "android remote control", check the box, and in the confirmation window, agree that you allow remote services to delete user information, create new picture passwords and lock the phone's display. After agreeing to all these changes, the option can be enabled using the corresponding button.

On a note! If your smartphone has an older version of the software, look for and check the boxes that allow you to find your phone remotely and reset the settings to factory settings.

It's so easy, fast and simple you turn on the function remote control. No further action is required: use your mobile device as usual.

Android remote control

Now your lost/stolen smartphone can be controlled remotely: find location, delete personal content and settings, make calls, etc. So, to search for a lost mobile device, open the official page of the OS developer in the browser:. To enter the page, you must be logged in to the Google system. The first time you sign in, you'll be asked to confirm permission to use your device's location data.

Now you need to select your mobile android device (smartphone, tablet, other device) from the drop-down list and perform any of the three actions. Moreover, the first two do not change the settings, even if the remote control function has not been enabled by you. So what options are available to you:

The new functionality of the Google Android operating system will allow you to find lost devices, delete user information and settings remotely and not lose sight of your children.

If you need to clear the phone's memory in a couple of minutes - this article is for you, especially no matter how much memory there is in your mobile device - sooner or later it will end and you will have to get rid of old, unnecessary and simply junk files. Today we will tell you how to clean your Android phone from junk and free up as much memory as possible.

Content:

Types of memory on Android devices

Modern smartphones and tablets have several types of memory, each of which performs its own functions:

Memory RAM or RAM. RAM is a type of memory that provides the work of running or already running processes. This is a buffer memory that uses any applications, both installed and system. Data is quickly written and deleted. RAM memory is active when connected to a power source at all times. System information about RAM is available in the Task Managers - here you can see the amount of allocated and free memory.
Memory ROM or ROM- a type of memory that performs its functions constantly. ROM does not imply permanent source energy - the memory is not erased, even if the source is turned off. ROM is in most cases required to store the Android operating platform. The data stored in this memory is difficult to change in any way, under normal conditions they are read-only.
Internal memory - Internal phone storage. This type of memory is provided to the smartphone owner so that he can store his data. This list includes files, programs, applications, media content, text information, and more. Information about the status, the amount of used and free memory is available in the settings menu in the corresponding section.
External memory Micro SD. You can write any information to flash memory, edit or delete individual files. The memory card makes it possible to transfer some applications from the internal storage to it, freeing up space for system files. Manufacturers offer large amounts of external memory, up to 128 gigabytes.

The easiest and fastest way to clear phone memory

First easy way- Go to Gallery -> Albums -> Video or Photos from the camera (if possible, sort the files by size / weight), then delete the most "heavy" files.
The second easy way- Go to Settings -> Storage -> Cleanup and delete all junk files found on your phone using this function.

As we already found out at the beginning of the article, the memory in the phone can be different (internal permanent, operational and external-connected).

Devices with the Android operating system almost constantly use RAM and internal memory. You can quickly and easily clean it up using standard tools, or resort to using third-party software. The device will work much faster if it has enough RAM and as much as possible. If the internal memory is practically not free, then the smartphone will often give system errors, randomly reboot, freeze and show poor performance.

Users who do not yet know how to clean the phone need to use the following tools:

Own functionality of the device;
Third-party software designed for a mobile device;
Personal computer;
Online services - cloud storage.

Any of the proposed methods can be considered fast enough, simple and effective in order to clear the memory of an Android phone.

How to clear internal memory on Android

To improve the performance of the device, you need to clean not only the internal memory, but also the RAM.

To check the status and clear the RAM, you must:

Activate the system key located on the left or right.
View a list of open applications in the window that opens.
View the amount of filled RAM.
Click on the cross on the display and clear the RAM occupied by applications.

The system memory used by the operating system cannot be cleared in this way.

If there is no desire and opportunity to understand the intricacies of third-party programs, you can carry out the procedure manually, after which the device will work much faster. Manual cleaning methods include:

clearing the cache of applications and the browser;
deleting messages;
deleting applications that have not been used for a long time;
cleaning the phone from the files stored on it.

Manually clearing the memory of an Android phone takes longer than an automatic one, but gives comparable results.

Deleting messages is relevant if the device has been used for several years, and the amount of text content is in the thousands of files. Clearing the phone from messages is done like this:

Navigate to the message app from the desktop.
Press your finger on one of the messages.
In the menu that opens, activate the item "select all".
Activate the "delete" action.

Uninstall apps in android

Unnecessary applications that take up space can be deleted through the operating system menu or on the desktop if the device has proprietary firmware. To do this, the application icon is clamped and eliminated from the desktop.

Advice: if the Android shell has a full menu, deleting the icon from the desktop will not kill the application. To uninstall the program, you need to go to the menu and already there hold down the icon and put it in the trash.

deleting files in android

The internal drive can also be cleared using the built-in file manager, a standard program that is available on any Android device. The removal algorithm may differ on devices different manufacturers, but in general, the actions must be performed the same.

On most devices, the algorithm of actions is as follows:

Open your phone desktop see application icons.
Find the Files app and open it.
In the window that opens, categories of files, information about the amount of occupied memory will appear.
Select a category.
In the list of files that opens, mark those that need to be deleted or activate the “select all” command.
Delete files.

We transfer applications to a memory card, PC or cloud

To transfer files to the card, you need to resort to the File Explorer application. We just launch the application, find the files in the phone's memory, mark them and indicate the location of the future location.
To transfer files to a PC, simply connect your phone via a USB cable to your computer and copy files as from a USB flash drive.
To transfer files to the cloud, install the Google Drive application, enter the data from your Google account (log in), then click on the "Upload" button and select the files that you want to upload to the cloud. After the data is uploaded to the cloud, they can be deleted from the mobile phone.

We clear memory automatically using android and third-party applications. Removing the cache and garbage in the browser.

A cache in a mobile device is an intermediate buffer containing information that the user can access in the near future. The cache allows you to save time on computing processes, provides fast access and improves performance. But, if the file cache accumulates, it starts to slow down the system, taking up a lot of memory space.

You can clear the cache in the following way:

Open the device settings menu.
Find the "all apps" section.
Open application manager.
Open each of the programs in the list one by one and activate the "clear cache" key.

Cleaning the phone from the garbage accumulated in the browser is performed in the following way:

Go to browser.
Open the menu located on the side.
Activate the "clear history" command.
Set the necessary settings: what to delete and for what period of time.
Activate the "delete data" command.

External memory also needs to be cleaned periodically. Cleaning can be soft (manual selective deletion of files) or radical (full formatting (deleting all files) from the memory card). Let's consider each method in more detail.

Manual deletion of files

The most effective in manual cleaning is the removal of the heaviest files, as a rule, these are video, audio files or high-resolution photos. To delete them, you need to go to the gallery and sort all files by size, and then delete the most “heavy” ones.

Tip: If you cannot sort files by size in the gallery of your mobile device, use the file manager. For example Total Commander.

Formatting the device's external memory

Files from an external drive can be deleted by performing a full format.

The formatting process consists of the following steps:

Go to Android settings.
Search and go to the "Memory" section.
Selecting the Unmount SD Card command.
Exit settings.
Go back to settings.
Find and activate the "Clear memory card" command.

We download applications and files directly to the memory card from the Internet

You can learn how to download applications directly to a memory card as follows:

Go to "settings".
Open a section of memory.
Find a subsection with approximate names: "Main Memory" or "Default Memory".
Mark the item "Memory card".

If all the steps are correct, all applications will be downloaded to the memory card automatically.

Countless annoying advertising banners, slow device operation - all these are signs of the presence of virus programs on the device. Viruses must be removed immediately, since malware, in addition to minor ones, causes serious problems - they steal personal information, read user correspondence. To prevent this from happening, you need to install an antivirus program on your smartphone. Any will do from the well-known antiviruses presented on the Play Market.

All you have to do is:

Install any antivirus you like from the Play Market.
Launch the application.
Run a system check.
Wait for system scan.
Delete malicious files if they were found by an antivirus program.

You can also remove viruses from your smartphone manually. Usually, users resort to this method when antivirus scanning did not give the desired results.

To get rid of viruses for sure, you need to do the following:

Go to the settings section.
Find the Application Manager tab.
Open the application list.
Remove applications that were installed shortly before the problems with the device began.
Go to the application menu and activate the "delete" command.

How to completely clean your Android phone without the ability to recover personal files

The easiest way to completely clear the memory without the ability to restore files is to reset to factory settings. The internal memory will be 100 percent cleared, and the user will receive a clean Android at the output.
To reset to factory settings you need:

Go to the settings section on your smartphone.
Open the "restore and reset" section.
Activate the "restore factory settings" command.

Apps to clean phone memory

From the numerous list of applications for cleaning RAM and ROM, users speak well of:

. The application removes unnecessary files from the memory, garbage remaining from the work of programs, scans the device for malicious files. The program also helps to speed up the phone by optimizing already running processes. Some applications are optimized to cool down an overheating processor.
mobile boost. This application is a godsend for owners of smartphones that have been working for quite some time, since it supports the old version of the operating system. To start the cleaning process, you only need to turn on the application and activate the "Clear" button.
SD Maid. When launched, the program will immediately offer to scan, after which it will issue a full report on the state of the memory separately for each section. The user can clear everything completely or make a selective deletion by section. The program also has a built-in file manager.

In order not to get confused in the device interface, it is recommended to clear the device memory with simple and understandable software, for example, the ES mobile file manager.
The algorithm of work is the following:

Go to the Play Market.
Find the application in the search bar.
Download and install ES Explorer on your smartphone.
Launch explorer. The program will analyze the amount of free space, provide a list of files that can be deleted.
Go to the side menu of the program.
Go to the "local storage" section.
Activate the "device" key.
Open a window with folders located in the built-in storage. You can check the contents of each folder and delete unnecessary files.

Similarly, libraries with media content are cleared. To go to the "libraries" subsection, you need to select it in the side menu of the program.
Often, Android users cannot see the files that take up space in the internal memory. In this case, you need to activate the "show hidden files" function in the program.

Are you going to sell your old mobile device? Take a balanced approach to reduce the risk of personal data falling into the wrong hands.

Remember that no method, except for the physical destruction of the device and its memory, does not give a 100% guarantee that the data cannot be recovered using special tools.

These tips are for the three major mobile operating systems, but if you have an old phone or an alternative OS, read the instructions for details on how to wipe the device.

Before you start:

Back up all data, including contacts.
Don't forget to remove the SIM card and the added microSD flash cards.
Sign out of services such as Email And social media, then delete the data stored on the device by these applications if you can.
Perform the encryption procedure and delete the data from the MicroSD card too, if you do not plan to use it in a new device
Save the serial number of your phone or tablet somewhere with you.

Android.

If your phone or tablet is running Android 5.0 Lollipop or later, Android Device Protection or Restart Protection (FRP) may be activated. This feature renders the phone unusable by the new owner if it is reset, because the new owner will not be able to activate it without logging into the previously used Google account with its password. You need to disable FRP if you plan to sell the device or transfer it to another owner.

Skip directly to step 4 if you have an older Android device without FRP.

Step 1. First, disable all screen locks. Go to "Settings > Security or Screen lock > Screen lock" and change the type to "None".

Step 2 Delete your Google account from your device. Go to Settings > Users or Accounts, tap your account and then delete it.

Step 3 If you have a Samsung device, remove your Samsung account from your phone or tablet.

Step 4: You can now factory reset your device. However, this often only wipes out app-level data, and other information such as SMS messages and chats can be recovered using some standard data recovery tools.

Windows phone.

At the time of this writing, Windows Phone only offers encryption for business customers. The easiest option to wipe a device on Windows Phone 8, 8.1, 10 is to perform a factory reset and then upload dummy data to overwrite the rest of the original data.

Step 1: Open "Settings" in the main application list. Look for "About phone" and then click on the option to reset your phone.

Step 2: Confirm the action, and then all that remains is to wait for the phone to destroy all the data.

Step 3: Connect your phone to your computer and open "My Computer". If you're connecting through a Mac, download and install the Windows Phone app. Find the phone that should show up as removable media and open it.

Step 4: Download dummy data to your phone using drag and drop from another folder. Do not use personal photographs or documents here, but instead use files that do not contain identifying metadata that can identify you, such as videos or music files. Try to fill the phone with as many fake contact details as possible.

Step 5: Reset your phone again using the same method as in the first step. Repeat writing the dummy data several times to ensure that all of the original data is overwritten.

Step 6: Perform a final reset.

Sign in to your Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com/devices and find the phone you just erased. Remove it from your account.

Final steps.

Once the cleanup is complete, don't forget to also revoke access to your phone from services like Facebook and Google. To remove devices from your Google account, go to myaccount.google.com, click "Security & Sign In > Device Activity & Account Security" and find the device you just cleared.

Are you planning to sell?

Consider completely destroying the device to make it incredibly difficult to access residual data. David Zimmerman of LC Technology suggests drilling through the device. "Drill through the phone in several places, including the charging port, and then throw it in the electronics recycling bin," he says.

Another method involves placing the device in a bag and using a sledgehammer to smash it into pieces no larger than a centimeter. Or at its most extreme: "Use a grinder saw to turn your phone to dust," he says.