Skip to main content
Accessibility Resource Center Skip to main content
Personal Business
Español

Choose your cart

Choose your cart

Have a phone you love? Get up to $500 when you bring your phone. OR get iPhone 13, on us for a limited time. With Select 5G Unlimited plans. Buy now
end of navigation menu
Ask a question
Correct answers are available for this post.
Hard Reset DOES NOT remove all data!
sdsteve
Newbie
‎04-17-2014 09:49 AM

I just did the hard reset by BOTH methods described at Hard Reset - DROID BIONIC by Motorola, and my phone STILL had photos and other data left on it. This was with the microSD memory card already removed, so I'm not talking about that external memory, I'm talking about internal. I MAY have still had the SIM card in it when I did this, so that might have had something to do with it, but these methods advertise/warn that they're going to delete everything, and they didn't.

Do not reply and tell me I did something wrong and try to explain anything to me. I am not mistaken. I am posting this as a warning to others NOT to trust either of those reset methods to work - they don't. At least not on my Bionic, which was at Android 4.1.2, the most current version as of today.

Just for completeness, here are the methods I used, copied as pasted from that link as it is today:

Preferred method

  1. From a home screen, select Apps ( Applications icon located at the bottom).
  2. From the All Apps tab, select Settings.
  3. Select Privacy.
  4. Select Factory data reset.
  5. Select Reset phone.
    Note If presented, enter the current passcode or draw the unlock pattern then select Next.
  6. Select Erase everything.
    Note Allow several minutes for the factory data reset and reboot processes to complete.
  7. Initial Activation and Setup.

   Top Alternate method

  1. Ensure the device is powered off.
    1. Press and hold the Power button (located on the top edge).
    2. Select Power off.
    3. Select OK.
    Note If the device doesn't respond to input, remove and replace the battery.
  2. Simultaneously press and hold the Volume Up/Down keys the press the Power button until the Boot Mode Selection Menu appears then release all keys / buttons.
  3. Press the Volume Down key to select Recovery then press the Volume Up key.
  4. From the Droid triage screen:
    1. Press and hold Volume down.
    2. Press and release Volume up.
    3. Release Volume down.
  5. Select wipe data/factory reset.
    Note Utilize the volume keys to highlight and the Power button to select.
  6. Select Yes -- delete all user data.
    Note Allow several seconds for the factory data reset process to complete.
  7. Select reboot system now.
    Note Allow several minutes for the reboot process to complete.
  8. Initial Activation and Setup.
0 Likes