Is there anything more annoying than your banking app crashing midway through a transaction or your phone running slowly when you’re trying to share a file on a video call with your boss? Is it a third-party app? Maybe it’s your phone? When you don’t have a clue what’s causing the problem, the result is double the frustration. That’s where safe mode steps in; it’s a quick and easy way to troubleshoot exactly what’s going wrong on your Android device.
Contents
- How to turn on safe mode on an Android device
- How to turn off safe mode in Android
- How to turn on safe mode with the keys
- What to do in safe mode
Difficulty
Easy
Duration
10 minutes
What You Need
Android phone
Safe mode is the best way to diagnose issues on your Android phone or device, as it temporarily blocks third-party apps from running. If you notice significant speed improvements with your device in safe mode, then a third-party app likely is the culprit. It’s worth noting that, before booting your device in safe mode, you might want to check online to see if anyone else is experiencing similar issues — such as the recent Android System WebView issue that caused apps to crash.
To boot your Android device in safe mode, follow these (very) simple steps. This way, you can finally get to the bottom of what’s been causing your device to sputter and slow.
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How to turn on safe mode on an Android device
If you have a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, a Google Pixel 5, or any other Android smartphone or tablet running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later, then the process for turning on safe mode is as follows:
Step 1: Press and hold the Power button.
Step 2: Tap and hold Power Off.
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Step 3: When the Reboot to Safe Mode prompt appears, tap again or tap OK.
Your device will then restart, and you will see a safe Mode prompt in the bottom-left corner. This method also works for LG, HTC, Sony, and many other Android phones.
How to turn off safe mode in Android
Because you don’t want to operate your device like this forever, here’s how to exit safe mode:
Step 1: Press and hold the Power button.
Step 2: Tap the Restart option.
Step 3: You can also turn off safe mode by opening your notification panel and tapping the Safe Mode Enabled notification.
That’s it. A simple restart of your Android device will disable safe mode.
How to turn on safe mode with the keys
Whether you have a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, an HTC Desire 20 Pro, or an older Android smartphone or tablet like the Samsung Galaxy S4, the process for turning on your safe mode option with the keys is as follows:
Step 1: Press and hold the Power button and select Power Off to turn your device off.
Step 2: Press and hold the Power button until you see the animated Samsung or HTC logo appear.
Step 3: Release the Power button and press and hold the Volume Down button.
Step 4: Keep holding it until your device boots up.
Step 5: You can let go when you see the words “Safe mode” in the bottom-left corner.
This method works for most Android phones and tablets.
What to do in safe mode
You can uninstall problematic apps and use your phone’s core functions while in safe mode. If you find your issue is gone in while your phone is in safe mode, then you can either uninstall apps one by one and test in normal mode again to try and identify the problem app, or you can factory reset your device and selectively install apps and games, making sure to watch out for a recurrence of any problem after each install.
If your device continues to crash, overheat, or otherwise perform poorly in safe mode, then the issue might not be with a downloaded application, but rather the operating system or the phone’s hardware. Try a factory reset, and if that doesn’t resolve things, contact your retailer, carrier, or phone manufacturer and find out about a replacement or repair for your mobile device.
Readers like you help support Android Police. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.If your Android device is running slow, freezing, or outright crashing, you can diagnose the root cause by entering the device into safe mode. When you boot any of the best Android smartphones in safe mode, it disables third-party apps and many useful Android widgets. If your device works normally, it means a third-party app is the culprit. You can then troubleshoot to see which app is causing problems and turn off safe mode on your Android device.
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The safe mode feature comes in handy when diagnosing issues with your Android smartphone. However, if you accidentally activate safe mode on Android, you won't see your apps and widgets. If your Android smartphone is in safe mode and you can't figure out how to get out of it, follow the steps below to turn off safe mode on your Android device.
How to turn off safe mode on your Android device
If you accidentally turned on safe mode on your phone, do not panic. You might not see your apps and data, but everything is safe. Once you boot out of safe mode, you can access all your data. There are two ways to get out of safe mode on your Android smartphone.
To ensure that you never have to worry about your data, always keep a backup of your Android device.
Restart your Android device to turn off safe mode
The easiest way to turn off the safe mode on your Android smartphone is to restart your device.
- For Samsung and Google Pixel 5a and earlier devices, press and hold the Power button till you see the power options.
- If you have a OnePlus phone or Google Pixel 6 and newer device, press and hold the Power and Volume up button for a few seconds.
- Tap the Restart button to restart your phone.
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If you don't see a Restart button, press and hold the Power button (or Power and Volume up) for about 30 seconds, and your phone automatically restarts.
Turn off safe mode on Android using the notification panel
As Android is customizable by nature, Android smartphone OEMs like Samsung deliver a different experience than stock Android. While you may not like all their choices, some of them are handy. For example, the best Samsung smartphones let you turn off safe mode using the notification panel.
- Pull down the notification panel.
- If your Android device supports this feature, you will see a persistent notification showing that safe mode is enabled on your device.
- Tap the notification and choose the Turn off option.
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How to use safe mode to troubleshoot your Android
If you didn't boot your Android device in safe mode by accident, chances are you want to troubleshoot some errors. Once you troubleshoot your issues, you can turn off safe mode on your phone.
To deduce the culprit, first, check if your phone works in safe mode or not. If it's working, it means a third-party app is the culprit. If a third-party app is responsible, you can start weeding out the exact app. It will be a hit-and-trial method and can take a long time, so be patient.
First, make a list of the apps you recently downloaded. In safe mode, delete an app's cache and storage, and restart your phone to turn off safe mode. To delete cache and storage go to Settings > Apps, choose an app, and tap Storage & data.
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If the issues are fixed, it means the app was responsible for the errors. You should delete and reinstall the app. However, if the issues persist, repeat the steps with the other apps until you find the culprit app. Once you find and uninstall the bad app, reinstall the other apps on your phone.
Deleting app storage removes user data for that app. It means you will have to set up the app again.
Disable safe mode on your Android smartphone
Safe mode is an excellent feature that can help you troubleshoot problems on your Android devices. Also, it's easy to get out of safe mode on your Android device without losing any data.