Copywriter, technical writer, translator (FR>EN, ES>EN, IT>EN), journalist

Rebooting smartphones

They’re pretty dependable devices, but even today’s smartphones sometimes “hang” or “freeze”. No matter what you do, they refuse to respond when you touch their screens or press their keys and buttons.

Worry not. Smartphones are pretty easy to reset, or “reboot” to use the computing term, and the chances of losing your data in the process are practically nonexistent (you do regularly back up your smartphone, don’t you)?

Apple iPhone

To reboot an iPhone, hold the Home button and Sleep/Wake button together for ten seconds, or until the Apple logo appears. There isn’t too much more to this on Apple’s web site, but the site does offer other handy tips on how to handle problems on the phone.

Note that these instructions pertain to all of Apple’s iOS-based devices, including iPad and iPod Touch.

Research in Motion BlackBerry

To reset a BlackBerry, all you need to do is remove the battery, wait ten seconds,  put it back and turn the BlackBerry back on.

You can also perform a “soft reset” using a Microsoft Windows-inspired three-finger salute: Alt-Shift-Del. RIM lists details on its support page.

Android device

It’s tricky to give one set of reset instructions for all Android devices, since different manufacturers may make them work in different ways.

Turning the phone off or removing the battery for ten seconds or so may work on many phones. To find out how to reset your particular Android phone or device, google “reset Android phone (ManufacturerName ModelName)”

Other makes

Since phones powered by Windows and other operating systems may also suffer the fragmentation inherent in the Android community, your best bet is to google reset instructions for your specific make and model of phone.