Does your smartphone behave strangely after installing an app or game? Or do you want to fix problems that came up out of the blue? NextPit shows you how to use safe mode on Android to fix problems. Especially when your device restarts without warning, apps crash when it freezes or just runs slower than usual.
Safe mode is an option to start your phone with a minimal number of apps running in the background. It enables you to detect and solve stability problems on the Android device. Most recent smartphones running Google’s mobile operating system can access it with a simple shortcut. So time for a guide!
How to restart phone in safe mode
In the past, pretty much every manufacturer offered their own way of how to boot into safe mode. Nowadays, however, most people follow this simple guide:
- Long press the power button (or the combination to show the shutdown menu).
- Tap the button reboot or Turn offuntil a notification appears on the screen.
- Taps OK and waits for the phone to reboot.
Safe mode not only shows a watermark at the bottom of the screen, but also offers a limited number of apps (mostly Google apps) / © NextPit
On older devices it may be necessary to go through the bootloader menu to enter safe mode. In this case, each manufacturer uses a different key combination to trigger the menu during the phone’s startup process, usually by pressing the power key and the volume down key.
How to exit safe mode
To turn off safe mode, simply restart your phone as usual.
What can you do with Android Safe Mode?
The main use of Safe Mode is to identify applications that are causing the phone to freeze, crash or run slower than usual. Basically, the Android phone runs only with the most important system applications, similar to the PC world.
Safe mode also removes the home screen widgets on some phones and turns on airplane mode, which disables the device’s data and voice capabilities.
If you find the stability issue is gone in safe mode, remove recently installed apps or games by clicking the “Google Play Store” app calls: Tap on your profile picture > Manage apps and devices > Administer > select the app/game > Uninstall.
You can also try disabling recently updated apps, including some system or native apps:
- Opens the app settings.
- Choose the option app (or Apps & Notifications).
- Taps All apps.
- Select the suspicious app.
- Tap the button Deactivate.
Disables some system apps to fix crashes. But remember to reactivate it afterwards / © NextPit
Then restart the phone and check if the problem persists. If the problem persists, go through the previous steps again or leave a comment describing what is happening with your phone and the steps you took to solve the problem.
Have you ever used Safe Mode to fix Android phone issues? What about Windows PCs? Let us know your troubleshooting tips for your device in the comments.