What is Reset App Preferences on Android

With each new update, Android devices come with tons of new features. And although it is indeed welcomed by all, sometimes a problem or two is associated with it as well. More often than not, it follows that the apps don’t work as expected. We regularly cover patches for the same. This involves restarting the device, clearing the cache and data, updating the application, resetting the application preferences, etc. However, it is the latter that leaves much to understand. Therefore, in this guide we will detail everything about this feature, how to activate it and, most importantly, when to use this feature.

Reset app preferences on Android

The app reset preferences bring many custom settings back to their default state, which is how they were when your device was taken out of the box. Let’s say you changed some parameters of an application along the way. Therefore, it no longer works as you would expect. But sometimes it becomes really difficult to examine exactly what change in application settings makes it behave this way. In these scenarios, the best bet is to use the Reset application preferences option. However, there are a few important points to remember, mentioned below. On this note, also see our guide to prevent individual apps from using data on Android.

What Causes Reset Application Preferences

If you continue and choose the desired function, this will reset all preferences for:

• Applications disabled.
• Notifications of disabled applications.
• Default applications for actions.
• Background data and restrictions for applications.
• Any authorization restrictions.

So before we go ahead with the steps to enable resetting the app preferences, it is extremely important to know what these five things really mean. Let’s take a look at each of them in detail.

Disabled apps

Android devices come with some bloatware apps. These can be OEM specific or not, but one thing remains uniform: you can’t uninstall them (on non-rooted devices, that is). The best bet in these cases is to disable these apps. You may have already done this for some of the apps on your device. However, if you reset app preferences, it will re-enable any disabled apps. You will then need to manually deactivate the required applications.

Notifications of disabled applications

Each user likes to customize notifications according to their preferences. For example, Facebook by default keeps all 17 notifications enabled for your account. But I turned off notifications for almost three-quarters of them (after all, who wants to be notified of Market Place and fundraising activities). But you’re about to use the app’s reset preferences, and then any notifications you’ve customized to your liking, whether it’s for any app, will revert to their default state.

Default applications for actions

If you have multiple sets of applications covering the same domain, you can get a Choose Default Application pop-up. For example, if you have the device-specific gallery app and Google Photos app, you will then need to specify to the device which application should open to view the media files. But by activating the reset of application preferences, the preferences of the default application are also reset.

Background data and restrictions for applications

Some apps have this strange habit of consuming too much background data. So if you want to save a huge amount of data on your device, Android gives the option to limit it. However, this has certain disadvantages associated with them. For example, you may receive delayed notifications or the data may not be synchronized in a timely manner. It is therefore advisable to use this option only for smaller applications. Again, if you reset the app preferences, you will need to reapply the background data restrictions.

Any authorization restriction

This is the main reason why I think twice before using this feature. Being a permission monster that I am, safety is the top priority for me. As soon as I install an application, I go directly to their authorization screen and deactivate all unnecessary authorizations. As of Android 10, these permissions have received a much-needed facelift. But if you continue and use the application reset preferences, all of these permissions for each application will revert to their default state.

When to use this function

The question therefore arises as to when to use this functionality, with so many strings attached. Well, whenever you feel that the app behaves unexpectedly, becomes unstable or gives frequent crashes, this option can be useful. However, do not choose this option directly. Start by restarting your device, then try to clear the cache and data. If nothing works, go to Reset app preferences. This is still considered the penultimate resort, the last formatting your device.

How to enable resetting app preferences

Well, the steps to activate it are quite simple. Just follow the steps below:

1. Meeting on settings on your Android device.
2. Go to System and press Advanced.
3. Now press Reset app preferences and press Reset apps.
4. You can also access the same from the Application information page under settings > Applications and notifications.

So with that, we conclude this guide on Reset app preferences. We also explained what leads to activating this feature. In addition, the steps to do so and under what circumstances were also discussed. We hope we were able to explain everything about this feature. If you still have doubts, do not hesitate to use the comments section.