Android phone soft / hard reset, master / factory reset - difference

Hi, what is the difference between soft reset and hard reset, master reset and factory reset of android smartphones ?

There are not many phone reset methods available. I would say you can use soft reset or hard reset on your android mobile phone.

Soft reset - power off the phone using the power button, wait for approx. 30 - 60 seconds and then switch the phone on.

Hard reset - power off the phone using the power button, then boot the phone into Recovery mode and choose Wipe data / factory reset. This type of reset will delete your data and installed applications. It will reset the phone into factory conditions.

Master reset and Factory reset - these are the different words for the same thing. Hard reset is also known as master or factory reset. There is no difference between them.

Soft reset doesn't delete data saved on your phone. To perform a soft reset, it takes a couple of seconds.

Hard reset deletes the data and installed apps. It can be performed also via phone's settings and it takes approx. 10 - 15 minutes.

In some cases, there is a different meaning of phone hard reset.

Soft reset

• Is just a restart when you turn your phone off and then on again.
• Closes running apps and clears temporary memory (RAM).
• Solves minor issues, but doesn't solve complex problems.

Hard reset

• Is sometimes used as a synonym for Factory reset or Master reset.
• Forces an unresponsive or frozen phone to restart, using avspecial button combination. It is also known as forced reboot.

Factory reset / Master reset

• Restores device to its original settings.
• Deletes all personal data (including photos, videos, documents, downloaded files, saved wi-fi networks, personal accounts) and installed apps.
• Solves complex issues.
• May also speed up your phone when it slows down.
• Takes about 10 - 15 minutes.