How to turn off safe mode on your Android device
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.
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.
- 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.
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.
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- 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.
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.
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.
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.