By the DevX mobile testing team. We tested every restart method in this guide on Samsung Galaxy S25, Google Pixel 9, OnePlus 13, and Motorola Edge running Android 15. We verified normal restart, force restart for frozen phones, scheduled auto-restart on Samsung, and restart in Safe Mode. All button combinations confirmed working March 2026.
Restarting your Android phone fixes a surprising number of problems — slow performance, apps crashing, Wi-Fi not connecting, Bluetooth acting up, or the touchscreen being unresponsive. It clears temporary memory, ends stuck background processes, and gives the operating system a fresh start. Here’s how to restart any Android phone, including what to do when the screen is frozen and buttons aren’t responding.
Normal Restart
This works when your phone is functioning normally and you want a quick reboot.
Most Android Phones (Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus, Motorola)
- Press and hold the Power button (Side button) for 2-3 seconds.
- Tap Restart (or Reboot) from the power menu.
- Wait for the phone to shut down and boot back up. This takes 30-60 seconds.
Samsung Galaxy (Alternative)
If pressing the Power button launches Bixby instead of the power menu: press and hold Power + Volume Down together for 2 seconds. The power menu appears. Tap Restart.
You can change this behavior in Settings → Advanced features → Side button — set “Press and hold” to Power off menu instead of Bixby.
Google Pixel
Press and hold the Power button for 2 seconds. If Google Assistant activates instead of the power menu, press Power + Volume Up simultaneously to get the power menu. Tap Restart.
Force Restart (Frozen or Unresponsive Phone)
If your phone’s screen is frozen, the touchscreen isn’t responding, or the phone appears completely dead, a force restart bypasses the software entirely and forces the hardware to reboot.
Samsung Galaxy
Press and hold Volume Down + Power for 10-15 seconds. Release when you see the Samsung logo.
Google Pixel
Press and hold the Power button for 30 seconds. Pixel phones require a longer hold than other brands.
OnePlus
Press and hold Power for 10-15 seconds.
Motorola
Press and hold Power for 15-20 seconds. Some models require Power + Volume Down.
A force restart doesn’t delete any data. It’s completely safe and is the go-to fix when your phone stops responding.
Restart From Quick Settings
On some Android phones, you can restart without using the physical buttons:
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to open Quick Settings.
- Tap the Power icon (usually in the bottom-right corner of the Quick Settings panel on stock Android, or accessible via the ⋮ menu on Samsung).
- Tap Restart.
Schedule Automatic Restarts (Samsung)
Samsung phones have a built-in feature that automatically restarts your phone once a week at a time you choose. This keeps performance smooth by regularly clearing memory.
- Go to Settings → General management → Reset.
- Tap Auto restart at set times.
- Toggle it On.
- Set the day and time (most people choose late at night or early morning).
The phone only auto-restarts if the screen is off and it’s not being used at the scheduled time.
Restart in Safe Mode
Safe Mode restarts your phone with all third-party apps disabled. Use it to diagnose whether a downloaded app is causing problems.
- Press and hold the Power button until the power menu appears.
- Long-press Power off until the Reboot to safe mode prompt appears.
- Tap OK.
“Safe mode” appears in the bottom corner of the screen. If the problem goes away in Safe Mode, a third-party app is the cause. Restart normally and uninstall recently installed apps one by one to find the culprit.
When Should You Restart Your Android Phone?
Restart your phone when apps are crashing or freezing, when the phone feels sluggish, when Wi-Fi or Bluetooth isn’t connecting properly, when the touchscreen is behaving erratically, or after installing a system update. A weekly restart is a good habit for maintaining smooth performance.
More Android How-To Guides From DevX
- Why Is My Phone So Slow?
- Why Won’t My Phone Turn On?
- How To Reset Samsung Phone
- How To Clear Cache on Android Phone
- How To Enable Developer Options on Android
Frequently Asked Questions
Does restarting my phone delete anything?
No. Restarting (both normal and force restart) doesn’t delete any data, apps, photos, or settings. It only clears temporary memory (RAM) and restarts background processes.
How often should I restart my Android phone?
Once a week is a good frequency. This clears accumulated temporary data and background processes that can slow things down. Samsung phones can do this automatically with the scheduled restart feature.
What’s the difference between restart and factory reset?
A restart simply reboots the phone — everything stays the same. A factory reset erases ALL data on the phone and returns it to its out-of-box state. They solve very different problems.
My phone restarted by itself. Should I be worried?
An occasional random restart is usually caused by a software glitch or a misbehaving app and isn’t concerning. Frequent random restarts (multiple times a day) could indicate a software bug, insufficient storage space, overheating, or in rare cases a hardware issue. Try freeing up storage and updating your software first.
Can I restart my phone if the power button is broken?
Yes. Use the Quick Settings method (swipe down, tap Power icon, tap Restart). On Samsung, you can also use the scheduled restart feature. If the phone is completely frozen and the power button doesn’t work, wait for the battery to drain completely, then charge it — it will boot up when plugged in.
