The Samsung Galaxy A35 is a mid-range Android phone that usually runs without issue, but software hiccups happen — a frozen screen after an update, a forgotten lock-screen pattern, or prepping the phone for resale. This guide walks through all three reset methods, from the safe data-preserving force restart to a full recovery-mode wipe.
Watch the procedure (video tutorial)
Method 1: Force restart (no data loss)
Use this when the screen is frozen or unresponsive but you don’t want to lose data — it’s the modern equivalent of pulling the battery.
- Press and hold the **Side button** and **Volume Down** at the same time.
- Keep both held for about 7-10 seconds until the screen goes black.
- Release both buttons when the Samsung logo appears. The phone will boot normally.
Method 2: Factory reset from Settings (when Galaxy A35 works normally)
This is the standard factory reset. Use it when the phone works but you want to wipe it for resale or to troubleshoot persistent software bugs.
- Open **Settings**.
- Tap **General management**.
- Tap **Reset**.
- Tap **Factory data reset**.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap **Reset**. Enter your PIN, password, or pattern if prompted.
- Tap **Delete all** to confirm. The phone restarts and begins the wipe.
Method 3: Hard reset via Recovery Mode (when locked or won’t boot)
Use this when you’re locked out, the phone won’t boot past the Samsung logo, or Settings is unreachable. This triggers Factory Reset Protection (FRP) — after the wipe, the phone will demand the Google account that was previously signed in before it lets you finish setup.
- Power off the phone completely. If unresponsive, hold **Side + Volume Down** for 10+ seconds to force it off.
- Connect the phone to a computer or wall charger with a USB-C cable. Modern Samsung phones require an active USB connection to enter Recovery.
- Press and hold **Volume Up + Side button** at the same time.
- Keep holding until the blue **Android Recovery** menu appears, then release both buttons.
- Use **Volume Down** to highlight **Wipe data/factory reset**, then press the **Side button** to select.
- Highlight **Factory data reset** and press the **Side button** to confirm.
- When the wipe finishes, select **Reboot system now**.
After the reset
The phone boots to the Samsung Welcome screen, just like a new device. Setup will demand the Google account that was previously signed in — this is FRP, and Samsung cannot bypass it. Once you’re signed back in, you can restore from Samsung Cloud or a Google backup, or set up fresh. End-to-end encrypted messages and some game saves won’t survive the wipe even with a cloud backup.
Troubleshooting
Setup is asking for a Google account I don’t remember.
Go to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery on another device and recover the account using your backup email or phone number. If the phone was previously owned by someone else, only they can remove it from their Google account — Samsung will not unlock it for you.
Recovery mode won’t load — the phone just boots normally or shows a download/Odin screen.
If you see a blue Odin/Download screen, you held **Volume Down** instead of **Volume Up** — power off and try again. If it boots normally, you released the buttons too early or the USB cable isn’t delivering power; use the official Samsung cable plugged into a wall charger and hold both buttons firmly through the logo flash.
The phone is stuck in a boot loop after the reset.
Re-enter Recovery (Method 3, steps 1-4), select **Wipe cache partition** first, reboot, and if it loops again run **Factory data reset** a second time. If it still won’t boot, reflash the official firmware using Samsung Smart Switch on a PC, which will reinstall the OS cleanly.
