Have you ever wondered if you could fix your corrupted Android phone? Yes, you can; right on this page.
A corrupted Android phone is one you can't trust; it can affect your sensitive data, documents, files, and others. Even so, it can render your phone useless at the most needed time.
However, a corrupted phone doesn’t mean the end of its life span. With our detailed guides below, fixing your corrupted Android phone is as simple as scrolling through your Instagram feed. Really? Check it out!
How do you fix a corrupted Android phone?
In fixing a corrupted Android phone, there are only a few options available, which include the four options/methods we'll mention below. Try them sequentially to repair and regain access to your corrupted Android phone.
Meanwhile, if you think your Android phone is hacked, you may check our detailed guide on "How to know if your phone is hacked”, as well as “What to do if your phone is hacked”
For now, let's delve into how to fix a corrupted Android phone.
1. Scan your phone with Google Play Protect
As an Android user, you almost have nothing to worry about if your phone is corrupted; because all you need is to scan it with the Google Play Protect feature. The feature is built into the Google Play Store, and it helps to check your device regularly for harmful behaviors.
Usually, Google Play Protect scans your device for both the apps installed from and outside the Play Store. And once Google Play Protect detects potentially harmful apps or behaviors that may corrupt your device, affect its performance, violate your privacy, or steal your data, it warns you about such apps and advises you to remove them. And sometimes, too, it may remove some apps automatically or disable them if their threat level is high.
Google Play Protect is active by default and scans your device regularly. However, now that you detect your phone is corrupted, you can scan it with the feature manually. It will find the potentially harmful apps on your phone and guide you on how to get rid of them.
Follow these steps to scan and remove corrupted/harmful apps from your Android device:
- Launch the Play Store app on your phone if you can.
- Tap your profile icon in the top right corner.
- Then select Play Protect from the menu.
- If there are existing threats, the feature will guide you on how to fix them. If not, kindly click the Scan button to re-scan your device for the harmful apps.
- Once scanned, Google Play Protect will tell you if your phone is corrupted by some apps and tell you how to resolve the problem.
However, if Play Protect says “No harmful apps found”, you may need to try another method below to fix your corrupted Android phone.
On the same note, we recommend scanning your phone further with an antivirus app. If you don't have one, you can try one of these 5 Best Antivirus Apps.
2. Uninstall rogue apps manually.
If scanning your phone with Google Play Protect and other Antivirus apps didn’t do any trick, what’s next is to search your device yourself for rogue apps. If we guess right, you probably know the names/types of apps you’ve installed on your phone. Isn’t it? We continue from there.
In most cases, your phone is corrupted by rogue apps. The worst thing is that these apps run continuously in the background, and besides corrupting your phone, they turn out to stealing your data and other sensitive files.
In that case, the best you can do is to go through your app list, find the ones you don't remember installing, and delete them straight away. Also, do the same for apps you're not using anymore. Do you grab that? Now follow the steps below to do the trick.
Before you go, if your phone is inaccessible due to corruption, you may boot to Safe mode first.
- Launch your phone’s Settings
- Scroll to the Apps & notifications tab, then click it.
- Select the option to See all apps (or tap App info)
- Now, you should see all the apps installed on your phone. Scroll down gently to find the ones you don’t remember installing (and that are not system apps).
- If you find one, tap on it and click the Uninstall button to remove it from your phone.
- Do the same for others until you remove all the rogue apps.
Meanwhile, some dangerous apps might not be the ones you don't remember installing only. If you suspect other apps to be harmful, we recommend you uninstall them as well.
However, some rogue apps are so stubborn and they install themselves as “Device admin apps”, disallowing you from uninstalling them at first. If you find such harmful apps on your device, all you need to do is to disable their admin privileges, then uninstall them afterward. Here's how:
- Open the Settings
- Tap the Security tab
- Select Device admin apps.
- Find the harmful apps on the list and disable them.
Meanwhile, keep in mind that some admin apps like Google’s “Find My Device” and others are not harmful apps that may corrupt your phone.
3. Factory reset your phone
Unfortunately, if none of the methods above could fix your corrupted Android phone, it's time to perform a factory reset. Usually, resetting your phone is the one-click and last user-facing solution to try when your phone is corrupted. Doing so will erase all your data (apps, movies, songs, pictures, etc.), including the rogue files/apps that corrupted your phone.
Note: But before that, ensure you backup your data if you still have access to the phone, because all of them will be gone after the factory reset. Once you’re done with that, follow any of the methods below to reset your phone.
How to reset an Android device when it is accessible:
- Open the Settings app
- Scroll to the bottom and select
- Click on the Reset option.
- Select Factory data reset (Erase all data)
- Confirm what the action does and tap the ERASE ALL DATA
- Confirm your screen lock and confirm the action once again.
How to reset an Android device when it is not accessible:
- Power off your phone and wait till it shuts down completely.
- Now, hold the Power + Volume up button simultaneously until the device boots up.
- You may release ‘only the power key’ once it shows the Android logo.
- After a few seconds, you’ll see the “No command” screen. Press the Power + Volume up button again to see the recovery menu properly.
- From there, use the Volume down button to highlight “Wipe data/factory reset, then select it with the power button.
- Again, use the Volume down button to highlight “Yes”, then select it with the Power
- Wait for a few seconds until the erasure is complete, then click the Power button once again to reboot your phone.
After resetting your phone, it will take longer than usual to boot up. Just stay calm while it prepares the system. Once it boots up, do what is needed, and welcome yourself to a clean Android device – free from corruption.
However, if the problem recurs after resetting your phone, you may have only one solution left: seek professional help!
4. Seek professional help
Usually, the last resort for fixing smartphone issues is visiting the repair center, and for a corrupted Android phone that you can't fix with the tips above, you surely need to seek professional help. Regarding that, we recommend you visit the official service center for your device.
Do you own a corrupted Infinix, TECNO, or itel device? We can help you fix it at Carlcare. If your phone got corrupted while still under warranty, we can help you fix it for free. What's more? We offer free software repair and download services at our selected service center. So, that may benefit you as well.
Carlcare is the official customer service provider for TECNO, Infinix, and itel phone users globally. You can refer to us as your phone doctor, as we're specialized in repairing any issue you may have with your phone. Just visit any Carlcare Service center near you, and you'll be smiling back to your abode.
Ready? Book an online reservation with us below!
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