How to restart your Android phone: Step by step guide

One of the simplest and most successful methods of rectifying temporary glitches, frozen displays or slow performance, is a Restart of an Android phone. Your phone may only require a quick restart with simple button presses, or your phone might be completely unresponsive, in any case, it can be fixed by a quick reboot to continue running at its best. This action removes temporary errors, cleans the system memory and reboots background apps- this way, you will not only avoid the unnecessary frustration but also have a well functioning phone every single day. The following is a step by step guide for how to restart your Android phone.

How to restart your Android phone: Standard restart

The Android phones allow a restart with just a tap:

Press and hold the power button

• Find the power button (which is kept on the side) and press it several seconds until the power menu will appear.

Tap restart or reboot

• The next menu that appears will be restart or reboot. It will automatically restart the phone and update its system.

Wait for reboot

• The device will shut down and boot up. When you boot your phone, the brand logo will be displayed, and you can use it.

Example: When your applications are not responding, or the phone is slow, the standard restart should normally solve the issue.

Force restart for Android phones 

In case your Android phone does not react to taps, or you are stuck with a black or frozen screen, force restart:

Press and hold power and volume down

• Press the Power and the Volume Down buttons simultaneously.

Keep Holding the Buttons

• Wait 7 -15 seconds (depending on the device you are using), until your screen goes out and the device automatically reboots.

Wait for Reboot

When the logo is displayed, release keys and wait till a home screen is displayed.

When you are in the middle of a game playing on your phone and it is frozen, or when the touchscreen is locked and you can no longer operate the phone, then follow the next steps:

Alternative and voice commands for Android phones

• Other phones have an indicator in the notification section or settings that allows extra restart options.

• On voice assistants (such as Google phones) you can command, “Hey Google, reboot my phone.” 

• Restarting hands-free in Samsung phones is possible using the quick settings panel or Bixby.

One of the easiest fixes to the most common technical problems is with your Android device, restart. The standard or force restart will save you time, and will not make you visit the service unnecessarily, and you will be able to keep your phone running efficiently whenever it glitches.

FAQ’s

Here are some frequently asked questions.

What is the manual way of starting my Android?

To reboot an Android, hold the Power button and the Volume Down button at the same time and keep the two buttons pressed together and continue pressing in approximately 10-20 seconds the phone will then soon turn off and reboot. In case that does not work, it is possible to experiment with other combinations such as Power button alone, Power, Volume Down and Bixby (on Samsung devices) because button combinations may differ by model.

What do I do when my Android does not boot with the power button?

It is possible to boot an Android device without having to press the power key via the Quick Settings menu, activating accessibility settings, or voice activation with Google Assistant. In case the power button is damaged, a mix of volume keys and a USB charger would restart the device.

Why is my phone not switching off when I press the power button?

A software glitch won't cause your phone to turn off, a broken power button won't turn it off, a configuration glitch where another function such as Google Assistant has been turned on in its place. To repair this, restart by long pressing the power button (10-30 seconds) or pressing a different button, i.e. power and volume down keys, 10-15 seconds. In case the problem continues, find out the shortcut gestures in your phone settings or as the last resort, a software update or factory restart.

Disclaimer: The information regarding the gadgets/devices listed in the table and article has been sourced from various secondary sources. For detailed product specifications, please refer to the brand sources.