Let’s admit it! We were extra careful when our phone’s brand new. But, we have to also take note that: With technological advancement over the years, comes consequences. Even the latest smartphones, which abound with exciting and exceptional features, experience issues and glitches at increasing quantity and frequency. Yikes! Now: While software updates can fix most problems faced by Android users, some problems can get quite severe and third-party apps can really mess up your phone. Or worse… Maybe you are among the several users who are facing problems like random reboots and loss of data on their Android devices. Or maybe your phone’s slow and laggy – with the exception of your battery drain, of course, which is faster than ever. But what can you do? Before you let some guy at the repair shop dismantle your phone, you can try looking for the source of the issue with the help of Safe Mode.
What Is Safe Mode?
Safe Mode is a diagnostic tool pre-installed by manufacturers on their devices. If you’ve been using computers for quite a long time, you should’ve heard about safe mode by now. Safe Mode for PC basically lets you boot up your computer with minimum drivers and functionality, just enough in order to load it up. Therefore, third-party software and apps are not loaded. This can really help you find out what the real problem is. Similarly, there is a Safe Mode on Android that pretty much does the same thing. If you’re looking to find out what Safe Mode for Android actually is, then continue reading to know what it can do and why you should use it.
How Does Safe Mode Work on Your Android Phone?
If you’re facing minor problems from a particular app, then there’s not really any need to boot into safe mode and you can easily uninstall the app. However, there can be cases where an app can really mess with your device and cause instant battery drain, random reboots and an unresponsive screen. Your phone might not even boot up. When you’re facing such extreme situations, then it is difficult to find the app that is causing the problem and even if you do find it, it might be difficult to uninstall it because your phone might not function properly. In such a situation, Safe Mode can be really handy. The way this works is that your phone boots up with minimum features and will only load apps that are already there since you first set your hands on the device. This way, you can get your phone to work normally and can uninstall the app that is causing the problem. Booting into Safe Mode is extremely easy and it is available on most Android devices. When you’ve booted into Safe Mode, you’ll see Safe Mode written in the lower-left corner of the screen.
Why You Should Use Safe Mode in Android
So now you know what Safe Mode is, but why do you care? What makes Safe Mode actually useful?
Take Back Control
As was aforementioned, there are some issues on Android that can cause your phone to malfunction. In these extreme cases, it can be impossible to uninstall an app and remove the culprit that is messing with your phone. Safe Mode can be used to get your phone in its normal state so that you can use the basic features and remove the app that is causing the problem.
Avoid a Hard Reset
Another reason why you should use Safe Mode is that it is better than doing a hard reset. If the phone isn’t functioning properly, some users might panic and perform a hard reset to get their device working again. This will delete all the data from the phone. If you don’t want to lose your data and want to take care of the problem on your own, then you’ll need to use Safe Mode. You can think of safe mode as a temporary factory reset where your phone goes back to its factory state, but you can get back all your apps and data when you boot into normal mode again.
Make Your Phone Usable Until You Can Get More Help
Another instance is when your phone is malfunctioning and you need to get it repaired because the problem needs expert help. In this case, you might want to read your messages and view other notifications before getting the phone repaired. You can do this while booted in safe mode.
Method 1: How to Use Safe Mode for Android
How to Turn On Safe Mode on Android
Let’s say, you want to boot your Android phone into safe mode in order to know which app is causing your device issues. But the ultimate question is “How can you turn on safe mode on Android?” Surely, there are several methods to do so, but I will only teach you the simplest one of them: Using the Power button. Here’s how you do it:
Step 1: Press and hold the Power button until the Power Off option flashes on the screen.
Step 2: Tap and hold the Power Off option. You should see the option to reboot into Safe Mode.
Some devices, like mine, did not bother asking to turn on safe mode as it immediately rebooted.
Step 3: Check the lower-left corner of the screen and if you see Safe Mode, you’ve successfully enabled the feature on your phone.
The above method works with smartphones running on Android 4.0 or newer versions. If your phone runs an OS older than Android 4.0, you might want to try the other methods that are mentioned in our guide, How To Boot Your Android into Safe Mode.
Method 2: How to Turn Off Safe Mode on Android
We’ve already discussed a method on how to access Safe Mode on your Android phone. Of course, it’s also fitting to mention how to get out of it. What if you managed to enter safe mode but don’t know how to turn it off? Well, check this out:
Step 1: Press and hold the power button.
Step 2: From the menu presented, select Restart/Reboot. Some devices, however, only have the Power Off option.
Step 3: If your phone has the Restart option, it should power up automatically after it goes off.
If you don’t, you have to press the power button again to turn the phone back on. The Restart method is the first method you should do when trying to turn off the safe method on your Android phone. Most devices get out of safe mode after they are rebooted. However, they are still others that require a much difficult method, often resulting in a factory reset. If this method didn’t work for you, read our guide specifically devoted to how to turn off Safe Mode on Android. There, you can see a slew of basic techniques you can try before you resort to the dreaded factory reset or hardware repair.
Signing Off
The Android operating system comes with several hidden features that can help you when you’re facing problems on your phone and safe mode is one such feature. If you’re a fan of safe mode on your Windows PC, then you’ll love it on your Android device as well as it is almost the same thing. Whether you’re looking to uninstall an app that is making your phone malfunction or you just want to boot your device temporarily in a factory state, you can easily enable safe mode on your Android smartphone or tablet. Of course, if you want to protect your device from viruses and malware, you should install antivirus software on your device and use privacy browsers when browsing untrustworthy sites. If you still have questions or have other thoughts or tips about Safe Mode, let me know in the comments section below.
