What does wipe all data mean? Wipe for Android

Recovery Mode or simply the recovery menu is a special smartphone mode that allows, for example, to reset certain data, reflash the touch device, run various tests, etc. Many users do not know about this menu. Don't be surprised, because the developers hid it away - one wrong click can lead to the loss of all data. However, in reality, the recovery menu can be extremely useful if you know where and what to click. In this article we will talk about one of the menu items - Wipe data/Factory reset.

Let's start with the translation: Wipe data is translated into Russian as “wipe data”, and Factory reset is “reset to factory settings”. This means that we can conclude that this recovery menu item erases all data and returns the device to factory settings - that is, the smartphone becomes the same as it was when purchased. This is very convenient if your device starts to slow down, work incorrectly, etc. Just remember to save the necessary data before selecting this menu item.

The Wipe data/Factory reset item replaces resetting settings using the menu of your Android smartphone: if for some reason you cannot use the main menu, use recovery.

How to open recovery? Usually you need to press and hold the Volume Up and Power keys when the smartphone is turned off. For example, as in the case of Xiaomi:

Sometimes you need to press the Volume Down and Power keys. On Samsung smartphones, a different scheme can be used: volume up key, Power + Home when the smartphone is turned off (press and hold until the device wakes up).

If everything is done correctly, you will see this picture:

Then this:

And only then the recovery menu will load. Here, as you can see, there is Wipe data/Factory reset.

If you select it, a confirmation will appear whether to continue deleting data or not. Selecting Yes will continue to clean the device.

Before selecting this menu item, think carefully about whether you have saved all the data - otherwise it will be deleted. And remember that if you do not remove the Google account from the device before resetting the data, then the next time you turn it on you will have to enter the password for this account (on modern versions of Android). If you know him, there will be no problems. If not, this is a serious problem, believe me.

Most online players are familiar with the server reset process. This is the moment when all achievements, progress and development of the game are reset, and everything needs to start from scratch. The same process can and should sometimes be carried out on your phone. What is a wipe for Android? It is a total clearing of the cache, settings, deletion of any information, and a complete return of the device to the basic factory settings.

Vip - what is it?

Wipe (meaning “to erase”) is a feature that will return your server or phone to a pristine state. Like Windows-based PCs, the Android system has a peculiarity - a careless culture of saving junk files. After some time, it starts to work slower, freeze, and the device’s memory becomes full. In the process, the data area does not simply clear free sectors. Each block receives a total deletion, and there is no information left in it; “zeroing” occurs.

Wiping for online game servers occurs without user participation (on the phone, the owner himself performs the reset). There can be many reasons for a wipe: errors in the game, incorrect balance of the gameplay, making radical changes, completing the testing of mechanisms in alpha and beta tests. In most cases, after a wipe, players receive some preferences that compensate for lost progress, but there are some games where wipe is a full-fledged part of the mechanics.

What is wipe in Minecraft

What does wipe mean on Minecraft maps? This is a necessary measure due to the server being overfilled with information. The main difference between Minecraft and other MMORPGs is the constant process of creating things. This leads to the fact that after a certain period of time, the amount of data that needs to be processed begins to increase exponentially, and the game slows down.

After a while, game cards begin to look like a wild phantasmagoria, which is very uncomfortable for a new player to play. At a certain period, the administration is forced to wipe it, and a complete regeneration of the space occurs with the characters being reset. This has always been one of the main complaints against the server administration. For those who want not to lose their progress, it is recommended to look for the addresses of cards whose description indicates that wipe is not provided. However, such servers often have a strict limit on the number of players.

What is wipe on Android

All owners of Android devices at some point have encountered the fact that their phone or tablet begins to respond more slowly to commands, freezes, or ignores pressing the sensor. The most common reason for this behavior is a dirty cache. This is a kind of auxiliary memory area where temporary files are stored. The problem with Android is that after this data is no longer needed, the OS does not delete it completely, but only compresses it and marks the partition as “free”.

Unlike online gamers, an Android phone user can independently clean the device of information garbage. This process is also called a factory reset. It is important to remember that after a wipe, all settings and data stored on the phone will be lost. Separately, it is worth noting that most smartphones have the ability to wipe the cache without losing settings (commands are launched from the hardware menu, which is activated by a combination of buttons, which is individual for different device models):

  • factory reset, wipe data (synonymous terms) – total removal of files, all user data, reset settings;
  • cache partition (user data complete save) – clearing the cache of used applications without losing settings;
  • dalvik cache – clears the cache of applications enabled on the phone.

Types of reset

The vast majority of Android devices provide a choice of which wipe to perform - full or partial. A factory reset will delete absolutely all information from the phone that is not basic. It is worth performing a wipe of this degree only as a last resort, when partial cleaning does not produce results, and the electronic device continues to work incorrectly.

What is a partial wipe (cache partition)? As stated above, it will only clear temporary data of applications that are installed on your smartphone or tablet. In this case, all settings and third-party files not related to programs (photos, music, videos) will remain. If the user is not sure about the advisability of resetting the data or does not know how to do it, then it is better to contact a service center or someone who can figure it out.

How to wipe

Resetting data on Android is fundamentally different from wiping on game servers. The owner himself can make a wipe on smartphones and similar equipment, following step-by-step instructions. Game data can only be reset by the game administrator or any other operator with access to the administrative part of the server (ordinary players cannot influence this process in any way).

On Android

There are several ways to completely or partially reset data on the Android OS. This is done due to the fact that sometimes some software errors can block access to some functions of the device. Basic wipe is provided directly from the settings menu. But besides this, there are options to reset data, even if the phone does not boot:

  • wipe through the settings menu: at the bottom of the list there is an item “Restore and reset” (completely deletes all information), in which you can separately clear the SD card or copy data to an external drive;
  • some devices have a reset button (a small hole on the case), which must be pressed with a toothpick or paper clip for 15-30 seconds, then released, and the system will reset;
  • wipes in recovery: a hardware menu that is launched by a combination of function keys (for each manufacturer, the set of presses differs depending on the Android firmware; this method assumes that the owner of the device is well versed in the OS architecture).

The last point will help you make a partial wipe without losing personal information and personal settings - cache partition. Factory reset is a complete wipe of the device from all data that appeared on the device after leaving production. Again, an important point for inexperienced users - in order not to damage your smartphone or tablet, it is better to give it to a service center or an experienced technician.

On the Minecraft server

A Minecraft server can only be wiped by an administrator who is responsible for a specific map. To do this, you will need to delete the World pack in the server section. It is important to turn off the server when the world is restarted. After deleting the folder, the game starts again, the map is generated again. However, you need to remember that this will delete all plugins and databases.

Video

Those who don’t mind delving into the settings of their gadget have repeatedly asked themselves the question – Wipe data/factory reset, what is it?

This is a function that allows you to reset the settings to factory settings, simultaneously clearing all information.

In this case, the data is deleted both from the memory card and the global internal memory of the phone.

After using this function, only other system sections that are responsible for the proper operation of the smartphone remain untouched.

The remaining information and applications are completely erased without the possibility of returning them in any way.

Contents:

Why is this function needed?

There can be many reasons to use this feature. Users often encounter memory limitation problems.

An SD card always has its limit, and the phone's built-in memory can usually hold even less information.

However, despite all the warnings, we fill up the phone, filling it with music, videos and photos, which ultimately leads to unpleasant consequences:

In this case, it becomes difficult, if not completely impossible, to use, so many, when faced with this problem for the first time, rush to the service center, wanting to fix everything as quickly as possible.

Important! Equipment repair and inspection services are not free and you will have to spend money on something that you can easily do at home yourself.

Viruses can also be one of the reasons. By downloading applications, games and information from unverified sites, the user risks his gadget.

Sometimes the built-in one successfully copes with a virus introduced into the system, but their reliability is not always at the highest level.

An effective way to get rid of the problem is to use a system reset. Along with personal files, the deletion of which, unfortunately, cannot be avoided, the virus will also be destroyed.

You can use it for a number of other reasons:

  • If you have recently updated the firmware of your smartphone, removing the built-in original system, replacing it with a custom one, or simply upgrading to a higher version.
  • When selling your phone to another person, without wanting them to have access to your personal information.
  • In the case of constants for which you cannot find an explanation.

A reset to factory settings, of course, can be done without an urgent reason, if desired, simply saying goodbye to old and boring applications that you don’t have time to delve into.

Peculiarities

From English, wipe is translated as cleaning, wiping, and if you see it in the gadget settings, always remember that this is formatting and hardly anything else. There are two types:

Full wipe- selecting an action will completely clear and format both built-in and removable memory.

Partial wipe- helps to delete individual sections and folders, performing a cleaning operation so that this does not lead to malfunctions and failures in the future.

On Android there are three ways to use it:

How to do it on Android?

Following the first method, turn on the smartphone and find the “Settings” section in the menu (most often the gear-shaped icon) and click on it.

Next, almost at the very bottom we see the item "Recovery" and go into it. Then you should find "Reset to factory settings" and use it. To continue, click “Clear all”.

Please note: The system will definitely issue a warning that your files will be permanently deleted. We just agree and continue.

The manipulations carried out will lead to the fact that your gadget will go out for a while, and when it lights up again, the robot will appear with a scale showing what stage it is currently at.

Once it's completed, the device will reboot, but it will do so very slowly, so don't be alarmed that you've broken something or only made the situation worse.

The second method is longer and requires attentiveness from the performer. Follow the instructions and you will succeed:

What you do next depends entirely on whether this feature is standard. If you see a list of commands on a black screen, then CWM is installed on the gadget.

This means you should use the volume up and down keys to scroll through.

With their help, we reach the section of the desired section and use the button to turn the smartphone on and off to select the correct item. Next, we confirm our choice.

If TWRP is built into the gadget, the manipulations will be slightly different. After entering recovery, a grid of partitions will open, from which we select the one we need.

A friend advises me to reset the settings using Wipe data / factory reset, but I can’t figure out what it is and how to do it. Tell me please.

Answers (2)

  1. This comment is edited.

    Wipe data factory reset is a function that is used to remove applications and user data from the device memory. It is used when the smartphone is unstable, before installing new firmware or selling it, when you need to clean it. Please note that the system folder and other system partitions except data and cache remain untouched after wipe data factory reset.

    Translated into Russian, Wipe data factory reset is roughly equivalent to “data wipe and factory reset,” but most often they just say reset to factory settings.

    Now I’ll tell you how to do a wipe data factory reset. There are two options for this - through the device settings or recovery. The first method is easier, so I'll start with it:

    • find the application with the gear icon and go into it - these are general settings;

    • Scroll down, open the “backup and recovery” section;
    • go to the “reset to factory settings” item;
    • At the bottom, click the “reset device” button;
    • then tap on “clear all”;
    • A window will appear warning you about the permanent deletion of information, we agree.

    The tablet or phone will turn off, a green robot will appear, under which the cleaning process will be shown. The android device will then start to boot, but it will take longer than usual - this is normal.

    Through recovery, resetting to factory settings is done as follows:

    • turn off the device completely;
    • press and hold the combination of the power and volume buttons up or down, the combination depends on the smartphone model;
    • wait until the manufacturer's sign appears;
    • release the buttons.
    • if CWM or native is installed, then use the volume control rocker to move to the “wipe data factory reset” section;
    • open it with the “on/off” button;
    • go to the item “yes - wipe data factory reset”;
    • press the power button.

    If after the end of the process you need to turn on the Android phone, then go back through the “go back” item, and then select “reboot system now”.

    In TWRP the process is similar, the only difference is in the interface:

    • go into recovery as described above;
    • tap on the “wipe” item;

    • A section will open, at the bottom we move the blue circle to the right (maybe a square).


    To boot into the system, click the curved arrow in the lower left corner, then the “reboot” and “system” buttons.

  2. This comment is edited.

    Before flashing the device, three steps must be performed - Wipe dalvik cache, wipe data factory reset, wipe cache partition. Translation into Russian “wipe cache partition” is cleaning the cache partition.

    This memory area stores temporary files that remain after running applications or system updates, so this procedure can be done when the smartphone is slow or freezes.

    When installing custom firmware, for example, CyanogenMod or MIUI, updating to the latest version through recovery, to avoid conflicts between the remaining and new files, you must perform Wipe cache partition. Wipe cache partition what it is is now clear, I’ll write later how to do it.

    This procedure with the phone is carried out only through recovery. On CWM for this you need:

    • open the general recovery menu by holding down the button combination;
    • Use the volume control keys to go to the “wipe cache partition” section and press the power button;
    • in the same way, move to the “yes - wipe cache” item and select it.

    If TWRP is installed, then do this:

Articles and Lifehacks

The usefulness of smartphones and tablets at this point in time is amazing. Part of the population even works on Android smartphones. And an Android device is a complex element of life that requires painstaking setup and selection.

It happens that an extra application with incomprehensible behavior or the crooked hands of another user of your smartphone make the latter inoperable or with such broken settings that it is easier to reset everything and configure it again than to repair the system.

For these purposes, you need to understand and understand what mobile phone wipes are and how to use them.

Wipes: why and where

Wipe (English Wipe - erase) is resetting the settings of the entire smartphone, phone, tablet back to factory settings.

This term can be applied to any program and to any device containing a kernel and system, but it has taken root only on devices from Google. The ability to wipe a phone is built into the phone; it is impossible to change it or remove the function.

A reset returns the smartphone to its original out-of-the-box state. The language is changed to the one set by the manufacturer, all Internet settings are lost, applications and all the data saved by the user are deleted.

Please note that after a wipe it will be impossible to restore erased information.

Eat three types of reset j. Let's look at each of them in more detail below.


Remember what wipes are on Android, what they are for, and that all data will be deleted from the phone’s memory. The flash card will not be affected.

Make backups in a timely manner, save them to your computer and flash drive, configure your smartphone correctly, and you won’t need the factory reset function.