How to factory reset an Android head unit and what you lose
Go to Settings, then System, then Reset. It wipes every app, every login, your Bluetooth pairings and any settings you changed, and gives you back the unit as it left the factory. Set the clock before you try to sign in to Google afterwards, or the sign in fails with an error that never mentions the clock.
What this gives you
A clean start on a unit that has gone odd, without pulling it out of the dash and without waiting on anyone. Most of what looks like a hardware fault on an Android device is a software state, and a reset is the cheapest way to find out which one you have.
Before you start
- Anything stored on the unit you want to keep, copied off to a USB drive first. Downloaded offline maps, saved tracks and any files go with everything else.
- Your Google account details, because you will sign in again from scratch.
- A list of the apps you actually use, so you are not trying to remember them afterwards.
- Half an hour, and an internet connection, because the reinstalls need one.
Step by step
- Try the cheaper things first
A power cycle, then the current software, then a reset. If the unit is behind on software, running the update does a reset as part of it, so you would be doing this twice.
- Save what you cannot get back
Offline map regions are the big one on a touring build. They are a long download and there is rarely a fast connection where you need them.
- Open Settings, then System, then Reset
That is the path. Read the confirmation before you accept it, because there is no undo once it starts.
- Let it finish and come back on its own
Do not switch the ignition off while it runs. It restarts itself.
- Set the time zone, the date and the time before anything else
A wrong clock blocks a Google sign in. If you get a message saying something went wrong, set the time, power the unit off for ten seconds so it sticks, then try again.
- Update the Play Store, then sign in
Open the Play Store, press the three dots for the menu and select Update. Doing that before signing in prevents most login problems on a freshly reset unit.
- Pair your phone and reinstall your apps
Bluetooth pairings are gone on both sides, so delete the unit from the phone as well before pairing again. Then reinstall your apps and download your offline maps.
If it does not work
- Play Store says something went wrong: the clock, almost every time. Set it, power off for ten seconds, try again.
- Phone will not pair afterwards: delete the head unit from the phone Bluetooth list as well. The phone is still holding the old pairing.
- The same fault comes straight back after the reset: it is not a software state, so a reset was never going to fix it. Check the software version next.
- Unit reboots in a loop after resetting: run the current software update from a FAT32 USB drive.
Worth knowing
A software update from USB performs a reset as part of the install, so if you were going to do both, do the update and you have done both.
Related guides
Still need help?
Tell us your vehicle and what you are seeing on screen, and we can point you to the right step.