Samsung Galaxy S3: How to Factory Reset and Things to Do Before It

By using the Samsung Galaxy SIII we can do many cool things with ease. Thanks to its operating system and set of powerful components inside it that allows it to happen. As with other things, we can also do factory reset or also known as a hard reset on the phone with ease. There are several reasons that make the user do factory reset on their Galaxy SIII, such as device malfunction occurs where the factory reset might solve it, when we want to sell the phone by fisrt wipe our personal data or when we want returning the phone to manufacturer or retailer with an empty state.

See also: Common Problem with Samsung Galaxy SIII and How to Fix It Part I and Part II

It is very easy to do. However, from many articles that discuss about it, almost all agree that do not do factory reset if it is not necessary because when you do a factory reset on your phone means that all data in your phone will be deleted, including the Google account, custom settings, system and application data and downloaded applications. This process will wipe all your data in the internal storage -or even on external storage if you want it- and restore your device to factory default settings, or it could be said after this process your phone will be in the condition as you turn it on the first time. After all you need to re-install all your data and applications you need into your device.

Image Credit: onbile.com


What are the things should do before factory reset?
Since this process will erase all data and applications on your phone, then before doing factory reset you should do a few things below:
  1. Backup your important data to computer or another external storage.
  2. Sync your contacts with your Gmail account.
  3. List any applications that will need to re-install. This list will help you.


How to factory reset the Samsung Galaxy S3?
If you really have a good enough reason to do this and you do all the things you should do before factory reset, then below are the simple steps to factory reset on your Galaxy SIII, as taken from the site droidlessons.com:
  1. Tap on Menu button on the bottom left on your main Home screen.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Scroll until you find "Backup and reset" option. Then tap on it.
  4. Tap on "Factory Data reset".
  5. After you finish read warning carefully tap on "Reset device".
  6. To finalize your factory reset tap on "Delete all" button.
  7. Wait until the process is complete.
  8. Done. Now you have completed the factory reset and the phone will return to the factory settings, reboot and it will give you a fresh start on your device.

Some of the issues raised on the Samsung Galaxy SIII is reported to be dealt with factory reset. However, you still have to remember that only do this if it is necessary, and you have good enough reason to do it. So, have you ever do factory reset on your Galaxy SIII? If so, let me know by write them through the comments below :)

32 comments:

  1. Can frequent factory reset damages or crashes the device? Because I used to factory reset my samsung galaxy s3 gt i 9300 since I had last february 2013. I actually did 9 reset already. Do you think it will be bad to my phone aside from considering that all the datas will be wiped out?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Allan Kennette Claveria,
      Thanks for coming here.
      I think it will not damages or crashes your phone as long as you do so in accordance with the procedures. Many peoples out there often doing factory reset with their phones when they have problems, and so far I have not found any reports the phones become crash or broken because too often doing factory reset. But, make sure before you do a factory reset, you should have a fully charged battery because if in the middle of a reset and your phone run out of the power then it could "brick" your phone.
      Hope this helps :)

      Delete
  2. i am having problem related with update of software
    like when i want to check any software upgradation, and i checked it thru setting>about the phone>software update>check for updates.
    and when i pressed that option, it did not respond
    i keep on trying by pressing again and again, but its not responding
    Even if there is no any updation , then it should tell me
    but it also does provide such info .
    will factory reset adjust it ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anoop Bhatia,
      Glad to see you again :)
      Since when you were realized that your phone often encountering freeze? Did you made any changes on your phone? Try to check available memory or move any files you save in the internal memory to SD card or another external storage, uninstall unused apps to free up the storage then see whether it helps. If not, you may need to do factory reset. But, before you do this, backup the data first and make sure the battery is fully charged to avoid run out power when the process is uncompleted.
      Hope this helps :)

      Delete
  3. I am having an isue with text messages. It claims that I have one text message but when I go and check there are none. Also, every once in a while I see blank txt message to " annonymous" which comes and goes. How can i fix this this issue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Janine Dreyfus,
      Thanks for coming.
      After I did some search on several forums, here I outline some solutions related to your issue:
      1. Make sure mobile data on your phone is turned on. To check, go to Settings> More settings> Mobile networks> (tick) Use packet data.
      2. Make sure you were enable auto retrieve on your Messaging apps. To check, go to Messaging apps> Settings> MMS settings> (tick) Auto-retrieve.
      3. Try to restart your phone.

      Finally let me know if one of these alternative solutions is works for you.
      Hope this helps :)

      Delete
  4. when I am trying to select ( setting ) icon .. It closed automatically and returns to home page .. so I cant use any list of setting menu ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ahmed Abdel Fatah,
      Thanks for coming.
      Did it happen even when you accessing the menu with another ways? such as by pressing the Menu key on your home screen then select Settings from there or accessing the settings from the apps.

      Delete
  5. Hey. Everytime I go to settings and then to applications manager. It freezes and closes itself. Why us it happening and how to fix it ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nickss,
      Thanks for coming.
      To avoid your phone freezing, try to go to Settings-> Developer option-> change Window animation scale and Transition animation scale to 5X or you can turn it off. This will make your phone can work faster without having to load any animation.
      Hope this helps :)

      Delete
  6. I have an issue with my s3 freezing and turning itself off, in the past week it has done it many times, multiple times a day. Im hoping that the factory reset fixes it as it appears to be a software issue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tine Thompson,
      Thanks for coming.
      Before doing factory reset your phone, it'll not hurt if you try my reply on Nickss's comment right above you, he also experience freezing with his phone. If it not works, you may should do factory reset on your phone.
      Hope this helps :)

      Delete
  7. I have recently did factory reset on my s3 now it is superrr slow.. how can I get it back normal??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Stephanie Mcneil,
      Thanks for coming.
      Did you phone is still slow even when you have not re-installed any apps on this? If so, try to clear RAM by holding down the Home button and select Task Manager, then tap Clear memory. If this still unable to solve the problem, then try see whether multi window is on or not on your phone, you can see it on the notification panel, see a "multi screen" option. If the multi window is on, then turn it off and see whether it helps :)

      Delete
  8. Hello Rehan,
    I am having Battery Charging problem..Even if i keep it charging for whole night, it only increases 30-35%. Can a factory reset solve this issue? This problem was not present in the start & i observe it after few months of S3 usage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Syed Mujtaba Omer Junaidy,
      Thanks for coming.
      AFAIK, the factory reset will only work to fix software issue. Due to your problem is related to the hardware problem, in this case is the battery or charger or the USB cable, then try to use another battery/charger/USB cable--lot of users encountering slow charging issue and some of them able to fix it by doing that thing-- then let see whether it helps :)

      Delete
    2. Hello, I recently update my phone and it has been acting really slow and turning on and off.

      Delete
    3. Hi Bhagmattie Latchman,
      Thanks for coming.
      Try to turn off Window animation scale and Transition animation scale that you can find under Developer option under Settings menu then see whether it solve the problem. FYI, another thing that may cause the phone become slow is low internal memory, so it's important to the user to manage the phone's RAM well. To know how to do so, kindly visit our post about it here:http://inside-galaxy.blogspot.com/2013/09/samsung-galaxy-s3-how-to-manage_8926.html
      Hope this helps :)

      Delete
  9. Hi! after factory reset in my galaxy s3, no service and when i turn it on the samsung galaxy sIII logo won't appear...its only the android logo said "HELLO"

    thanks i hope you can help me on this!

    ReplyDelete
  10. If I reset my galaxy s3 can someone still see my calls, message and other things

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Liz Esquivel,
      Thanks for coming.
      Factory reset will erase all the data and app on your phone, so you should backup your data before you factory reset the phone.

      Delete
  11. People are having trouble hearing me when they phone me I have tried various things but nothing seems to work

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Avril mckail,
      Thanks for coming.
      Try to check whether the "Noise reduction" option is enabled or not on your phone. If this option is enabled, then disable it. Aside from reducing the noises in the background, activate this option can also cause a problem in the microphone signal, resulting the people who call you can't hear your voice well. If you don't know how to do so, feel free to visit our post about it here:http://inside-galaxy.blogspot.com/2013/09/samsung-galaxy-s3-how-to-fix-quieter.html
      Hope this helps :)

      Delete
  12. Help I downloaded new software on my galaxy sIII and was told I had to do a factory reset after a backup using Kies 3 the back up has now been running for over two hours and shows no progress in the progress bar, how do I do a backup and restore then factory resent then restore my settings etc if the Kies does not work?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi, I'm Samsung Galaxy S3 user, my phone cannot booting up this morning, what should I do for this issue? Can I do a factory reset, but I have never backup my photo and videos, can it reset without deleted any photo and videos?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Edwin Foong,
      Thanks for coming.
      Unfortunately, factory reset will delete all your data. That's why a user needs to backup their data first before doing factory reset. If you have installed Facebook on your phone, try to check your Facebook account from PC and see in the private album. It usually auto sync all photos taken by the phone's camera. Other, if you saved photos and videos on your SD card, take the card and hook it up to your PC and then copy all of them to your PC. However, do you remember what you have done in your phone before your phone unable to boot?

      Delete
  14. HI.
    I turned off my mobile data 4g so that I could use wifi at home, but when I click on chrome or internet, it said that it is not connected even though the setting said that wifi is secured. What should I do to fix my wifi problem? Would factory reset help? How would that takes? and would it damage the phone if it stops halfway?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Buddy,
      Thanks for coming.
      You're right, when you're performing factory reset and stop it halfway, the process may be corrupted and it will damage your phone. Given the risk, I always put the factory reset as the last effort.
      Well, back to the case.
      Is this the first time you connect to the Wi-Fi network? If so, tap the Wi-Fi network profile and then enter the password correctly (it's case sensitive, A is different with a) then tap Connect button. If you've managed to connect, below the Wi-Fi network profile will be labelled with "Connected".

      Delete
  15. Hi, hey my question is I have a S3 and I have updated it to 4.3 from 4.1.2 which used 400+mbs.Now if I hard reset it due to a few issues I am currently having, do I lose that update and end up with 4.1.2 again .Thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Pete29,
      Thanks for coming.
      CMIIW, theoretically factory reset will erase all your settings, files and third-party apps, but it won't revert your Android version to the default. So, your phone will remain in Android 4.3 after you did factory reset.

      Delete
  16. Will it erase browser and bookmarks ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Galaxy3chik,
      Thanks for coming.
      Factory reset won't erase the stock Browser app (Internet app), but it will erase your bookmarks.

      Delete

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