WARNING! If you master reset your smartphone, all settings will return to factory values, and all the data stored on the phone's internal storage will be deleted, including ringtones, images, downloaded content, apps, contacts etc. Data stored on the SIM and SD cards will not be affected.

NOTE: If you wish to back up your data before resetting your smartphone, then visit this link for a full guide. To learn how you can restore data, visit this thread.

Master Reset using the Settings Menu:

  1. From the home screen press "Menu"
  2. Tap "Settings"
  3. Swipe to "User and Backup" and tap "Backup and reset"
  4. Optionally, clear the "Automatic restore" and "Back up my data" check boxes
  5. Tap "Factory data reset"
  6. Tap "Reset device"
  7. Assuming that your smartphone is protected by a PIN or password, enter it and tap "Continue"
  8. Tap "Delete all"

Master Resetting via Hardware Keys:

NOTE: In case you are unable to master reset your smartphone from the settings menu (method above), then you can still apply the factory reset via the recovery menu, which can be accessed by performing a combination of key presses:

  1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Alpha
  2. Press and hold the "Volume Up", "Power" and "Home" buttons simultaneously
  3. After the phone vibrates, let go of the "Power" key but keep pressing the other two buttons
  4. At the "Android System Recovery" screen, release all hardware buttons
  5. From the recovery menu, press the "Volume down" key to navigate to and highlight "wipe data / factory reset"
  6. Press "Power" to select the option
  7. Highlight "Yes -- delete all user data" using the "Volume down" key
  8. Press "Power" to select the highlighted option
  9. Once the process is complete and the smartphone reset, "Reboot system now" will be highlighted
  10. Press "Power" to restart your smartphone in normal mode

Update the Android OS:

NOTE: Once you factory reset your smartphone, all previous software updates will also be lost. It's recommended that you update your smartphone after applying the factory reset, and to do so:

  1. Make sure that your Alpha is connected to a Wi-Fi network
  2. From the home screen, press "Menu" and tap "Settings"
  3. Go to the "More" tab and tap "About device"
  4. Tap "Software updates"
  5. If software updates are available, follow the on-screen prompts to download and install them



See More: Samsung Galaxy Alpha: Master Reset and Update the OS