Samsung’s Galaxy S10 series is one of the best smartphone series out there. It offers style, quality, performance, and numerous useful and brand new features. However, a phone of even this caliber can sometimes run into issues. If the Galaxy S10 becomes unresponsive, keeps rebooting, again and again, then it may be the right time to hard reset it. This tutorial goes through all the steps to factory reset or hard reset Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, and Galaxy S10E. It’s time to fix annoying issues.
Contents
What is Hard reset / Factory reset?
Normally when someone wants to wipe data on their phone, they use the factory reset option. This particular option is available inside Settings menu. However, when the phone becomes unusable and you cannot access the settings, then only solution is “Hard Reset”. This is same as factory reset but done outside of main menu. Users can wipe entire data or factory reset the device from recovery menu.
Hard reset deletes all data stored on the device from internal storage. Normally, phones give the option of wiping the external SD card too. However, it may not be available in recovery menu.
When to Factory reset / Hard reset Galaxy S10, S10+ or S10E
As the name suggests, hard reset is the last resort when phone becomes unresponsive. The most common use case is when Galaxy S10 is stuck in bootloop. It does not turn off properly and you keep seeing Samsung logo again and again. This is true for Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10E as well. In this case, the first possible solution is hard reset. Normally, the phone starts working normally after doing this.
Another possible use case is when phone becomes unresponsive or very slow. In this case, first try doing a soft reset with volume down + power keys combination. If it does not solve the issue, then turn it off forcefully as described below. Perform a hard reset using steps below afterwards.
Some people may try to hard reset to bypass lockscreen of Galaxy S10, S10+ or S10E. However, with improvement if software and security, it may not be possible. It can ask for login information as well as biometric verification if stored beforehand.
Guide to Factory Reset / Hard Reset Galaxy S10+, S10 & S10E
Before continuing, note that it will wipe all user data. Therefore, before performing a factory reset, take out the SD Card (if inserted) and copy all data in internal storage. Otherwise, all data will be lost. However, there are cases when you are attempting to hard reset in case of bootloop or something like that. In that case you may not be able to access data on internal storage. In any case, follow the steps below to factory reset or hard reset Galaxy S10/S10+/S10E. Since all three of these devices are running similar software, the entire process is same too.
Time needed: 5 minutes.
Follow the steps below to hard reset/factory reset Galaxy S10 series phones.
- Hold the power button for few seconds and turn off the phone.
If you can access the main menu, then hold it for few seconds and press power off button in next screen.
- If the phone is unresponsive, hold volume down + power keys together until phone turns off.
In case the phone is either stuck in bootloop or just unresponsive, use this trick to turn it off.
- Once the phone is off, enter recovery mode.
This is the default/stock recovery menu. Follow the guide in this link to enter recovery mode on Galaxy S10 series phones.
- Inside the recovery menu, use volume buttons to navigate to “Wipe data/Factory Reset” option.
Touch control do not work on stock recovery.
- Press Power button to select “Wipe data/Factory Reset” option.
This option will execute the hard reset process.
- Once completed, select the reboot option and press power button to select it.
After confirmation of factory reset and when it is complete, reboot the phone to get into main menu.
- That’s it! Now your phone should be working normally again.
The first reboot should take longer than usual. However, you have to set it all up once again.
Conclusion
Follow the steps mentioned above carefully. Also do not forget to to make a backup of data beforehand, if possible. Hard reset wipe all data stored on the device. It also clears all stored accounts except for the biometrics probably. These may be required for verification upon rebooting.
Feel free to leave your feedback and queries in the comments below.
