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asus rog ally resting on blue background
How to factory reset the ROG Ally

Wipe the slate clean on your ROG Ally with ease

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If you're looking for a gaming handheld alternative to the Steam Deck, the ROG Ally might be right for you. This handheld is a portable Windows 11 gaming PC built for running games on the go. It has superior speed and an impressive 1080p/120Hz resolution that easily beats the Deck. Still, faults, crashes, and device-damaging errors occur. Knowing how to perform a factory reset is handy, whether you're starting from scratch or getting ready to sell it. Here's AP's guide for factory resetting a ROG Ally to keep your favorite gaming device alive and ticking.

Galaxy Z Flip 5 sitting on a gray backdrop with notifications showing.
How to factory reset a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

Restore your Samsung flip phone to its default state

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The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is Samsung's latest flip phone. If you encounter problems or switch to another foldable Android phone, you'll perform a factory reset. Performing a factory reset restores your Z Flip 5 to the state it was in when it arrived in the box, wiping your personal data and installed apps in the process.

A screenshot of the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch dock, and two joycons
How to reset your Nintendo Switch

Get a squeaky clean Switch in no time!

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Reverting to factory settings is an important feature of any operating system. It's vital for the quality control and optimization of your new Android gaming phone or games console. Reverting your mobile devices to their original settings can repair technical faults. This is an essential feature if you want to resell. The Nintendo Switch has excellent hard reset options for various situations. They can be confusing, so here's a guide on how to factory reset a Nintendo Switch console. Read on to learn how to get a clean slate on your Switch.

The Google Pixel 6 Pro sitting on a log in the forest
How to factory reset your Android phone or tablet

For when you're troubleshooting, selling, or trading in your phone

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Resetting your Android to factory settings erases all the data on the device and clears out the junk. This process wipes all your information from it, including private data, messages, and files. That's why a factory reset is crucial before you sell, recycle, or donate your Android phone or tablet. It can also be a last-ditch attempt at troubleshooting persistent issues with your device.

an overhead view of a Chromebook sitting against a red background
How to factory reset (Powerwash) a Chromebook

Make your device as good as new with a quick Powerwash

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Chromebooks are popular computing devices due to their reliability and ease of use. For browsing the internet, a good Chromebook can compete with Windows and Mac devices and have comparable hardware, often for less money. Even though Chromebooks are reliable, they may run into issues that require a factory reset. Also, if you get a used Chromebook, it may have the previous owner's data that you need to erase. Either way, there are a couple of methodologies to reset, or Powerwash, your Chromebook, no matter who the manufacturer is.

The Shizuku logo and text on a white background
How to use Shizuku to batch restore your Android apps after a factory reset

You don't actually need root access to do batch restores

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Back in the early days of Android, Titanium Backup was considered the go-to backup solution for those with full root access. Its impact on the power user community over the years is undeniable. However, Titanium Backup's days are numbered because the original developer no longer updates the app. This means smartphones and the best Android tablets are out of luck since new device support is nonexistent. You now have other options that are nearly as good. This guide covers how to tap into the power of Shizuku to back up your device.

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How to factory reset a Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet

Spring cleaning your Galaxy isn't tricky, but beware of SD encryption

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If you're considering upgrading to a new Android phone, it's a good idea to do a full factory reset before you trade, sell, or donate your current phone. This is the best way to prevent someone from accessing your private media, banking apps, or email inbox. Another overlooked reason to factory reset your phone is as a last-resort troubleshooting step. When you remove all the apps and data, you can narrow down the issues to the most basic parts of the device.

moto-g-stylus-5g-cameras-1
How to factory reset a Motorola phone

Get back to the good ol' days and factory reset your Motorola phone with this handy guide

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There's no shame in admitting defeat when it comes to faulty technology. You tried the software updates. Then you turned it on and off enough times to know that there's nothing else to do. Sometimes, your best move is to start from scratch, and that's where a factory reset comes in handy. With a factory reset, you'll send the device back in time to the moment before you added your apps, accounts, and photos. This reset can fix any problem you might have with your phone.

How to reset an Amazon Echo Dot

Make your Echo Dot as good as new

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Amazon's Echo smart speaker devices are a useful and easy-to-use addition to your smart home. The smaller Echo Dot is one of the best smart speakers out there. Whether you're running into some issues or getting rid of your Echo dot, you may need to reset it. Let's take a look at how to reset any generation of Amazon Echo Dot.

OnePlus Nord owners are reporting random factory resets and data loss

The phones are spontaneously resetting in people's pockets

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If you've been on the OnePlus forums recently, you may have seen several worrying reports of Nord devices performing unsolicited factory resets, causing users to lose all of their data in the process. According to some of the affected people, their Nord felt warm in their pockets and when they pulled it out, it was doing a factory reset all by itself.

While smart speakers have rapidly become ubiquitous in many of our homes, there are practical things about them—like initiating a factory reset when you sell them—that just aren't intuitive without a bit of Googling. And since the Assistant (fortunately) won't abide your voice request to initiate one, that means this is one smart speaker and display feature that requires going hands-on. Fortunately, it's pretty easy in most cases for devices like Google Home, Nest Home, and Nest Hub.

Owners of the T-Mobile-exclusive OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren interested in bootloader unlocking the device for root or ROM purposes should think twice before they do. Based on recent reports, that process can prevent the phone from being able to download future official updates, including one that was just released.

We're pretty big fans of the C by GE bulb line here at Android Police, given the features, Assistant integration, and excellent price point. Although we pointed it out how tedious the reset process for the smartbulbs was in our reviews, the official video by GE Lighting describing the process is currently making the rounds, and it's pretty funny.

When a manufacturer releases a system update, there is a general assumption that the update will not break everything. If you have a Pixel C that hasn't received the Android 8.1 update yet (or you've been holding off), consider yourself lucky - many users discovered that the OTA triggered a factory reset.

Just a bit before the new Pixel 2 phones launched, Google released a new trade-in program that allows you to swap an older phone for credit that can be applied (in the form of a partial refund) on a purchase. Since it rolled out, there have been reports that the inspection being performed on phones isn't accurate, resulting in an incorrect trade-in value assessment. According to a statement by a Google rep, this issue seems to have been fixed, at least when it comes to Pixel phones and factory reset/device classification. 

If there's one thing sure to ruin your day, it's a crashing smartphone. Even worse if the bug proves so bad that your phone eventually insists you do a factory reset, losing data in the process. This is exactly the situation that has befallen a number of Nexus and Pixel owners in recent days, and it's all to do with an adaptive icon bug that was discovered by the developer of third-party Facebook wrapper called Swipe.

The user facing features of Android 8.0 were mostly already known before yesterday's grand reveal of the Oreo name and the final version, but there are usually other tweaks that only become apparent after a bit of time looking through the documentation. One interesting new discovery is a feature called Rescue Party, which is designed to combat a much publicized recent Android problem, the infamous bootloop.

Something strange has begun happening to many of Google's OnHub and Wifi routers. The units are refusing to broadcast WiFi signal, and are requiring factory resets to function properly again. Many people refuse to use OnHubs or Wifis because Google has too much control over them, and it seems like they'll have a little more ammunition to use in arguments against these cloud-connected devices now.

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