How to Repair Your Mobile

Performance issues with your mobile device can be a pain, but there are several options available to you to attempt to resolve the issues. You can attempt a soft reset of the device, a hard reset of it or (for certain devices) a master clear of the device. Each of these involve resetting the device, though the state that the device is in when the reset occurs differs greatly depending on which type of reset you perform. Therefore, it is important to know what each type of reset involves before attempting them.

• 1

  Try a soft reset. A soft reset of the mobile device stops all running programs and simply restarts, much like how a PC works when rebooted. Information in a program that is open at the time of the reset may be lost, which is why it is a good idea to save any changes you made to the program before soft-resetting the device. Fortunately, any changes you made to the device (like changing the settings or adding new apps or programs) are not lost in the reset. The process for a soft reset is different, depending on your device, so consult your device's manual for information on how to perform one.

• 2

  Try a hard reset. If a soft reset does not solve your issue, a hard reset of the device is the next step. A hard reset restores the device to its factory settings, meaning that the device will return to the state it was in when you turned it on for the first time (which is why a hard reset is sometimes referred to as a "factory reset"). For most devices, any changes you made (including changing the settings or adding new apps or programs) are lost with this type of reset, so it should be attempted only if a soft reset does not solve the issue. The process for performing a hard reset differs depending on your device, so you should consult your device's user manual for how to perform a hard reset on your device.

• 3

  Try a master clear. For some devices (such as Motorola devices), a hard reset (or "master reset" in the case of Motorola devices) does not completely restore the device to factory settings. Personal information, memory locations and Call Timers are all preserved. If a hard reset does not solve the issue, a master clear needs to be attempted. This does erase all your changes, including personal information, memory locations and Call Timers. As such, it should be attempted only if neither a soft or hard reset solve your issue. Not all devices have a master clear option (meaning that a hard reset on those devices without it erases all the data that a master clear does), so consult your device's manual to see if a master clear is an option.