As far as mid-range Android phones go, the Google Pixel 6a is one of the more impressive devices to hit the market, with its impressive camera performance, clean Android software, as well as a hardware design that takes after its more premium Pixel siblings. And while it is a great phone, it’s not a perfect device, and there are times when it (knock on wood) might run into performance hiccups.
These often include moments like apps crashing, or some software features that would just stubbornly stop working for some unknown reason. It’s in these cases where you might want to do some very light “tinkering” with your phone, such as a reset.
Should you Reset your Phone?
Resetting an Android smartphone (or tablet) often allows it to function as if it were brand-new again (at least in most cases), without any user-installed apps or additional files to slow it down. There are also times when it might just need a quick reboot to recover from app crashes, freezes, and whatnot. With that said, there are two different ways to reset an Android phone:
- Restart/Reboot: Sometimes known as a “soft reset,” this method simply turns your phone off and on again, allowing it to recover from unexpected performance issues.
- Reset: Also known as a “hard reset” or sometimes “factory reset,” this method erases everything that’s saved on your phone, including your apps, settings, files, photos, and music, for example. It’s generally advised that you back up your files to your PC, or online through cloud storage platforms.
How to Reset your Pixel 6a
If you’ve encountered an issue on your smartphone that prevents it from functioning normally, or would like to bring it back to factory settings, then you can try the following methods below:
Basic Restart
- Press and hold your power button for a few seconds.
- A menu should pop up on your screen with options for “Emergency,” “Lockdown,” “Power Off,” and “Restart.”
- Select “Restart.”
- Your phone should then turn off, and automatically turn back on within the next few seconds.
Factory Reset
Factory resetting removes all bits of personal user data from your phone, so it’s advised that you should back-up your files to a PC or via cloud storage.
- Open your “Settings” app.
- Head down to “System” > “Reset Options.”
- Tap on “Erase all Data (Factory Reset)”
- Tap on “Erase all Data.”
- Your phone should then proceed with removing your data.
Force Restart
In the unfortunate event that your phone is non-responsive and you are unable to access any settings menus through your screen, then you might need to force restart your phone.
- Hold down your power button for a few seconds until the screen turns off – it should then automatically turn back on afterwards.
More Pixel 6a Tips
We hope this information was useful to you – if you want to learn more about the Pixel 6a, then feel free to check out our other content below:
