The Samsung Galaxy A57 is a mid-range Android phone, and like any phone, it can lock up after an update, get stuck on the Samsung logo, or need to be wiped before a hand-off. This guide walks through three reset paths, from the safest force restart to a full recovery-mode wipe. Methods 2 and 3 erase everything.
Watch the procedure (video tutorial)
Method 1: Force restart (no data loss)
Try this first when the screen is frozen but the phone is otherwise intact — no data is lost.
- Press and hold the **Side button** and **Volume Down** at the same time.
- Keep holding for about 7-10 seconds, until the screen goes black and the Samsung logo appears.
- Release both buttons and let the phone boot normally.
Method 2: Factory reset from Settings (when Galaxy A57 works normally)
Use this when the phone works but you want to wipe it cleanly — selling, gifting, or troubleshooting persistent software issues.
- Open **Settings**.
- Tap **General management**.
- Tap **Reset**.
- Tap **Factory data reset**.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap **Reset**, then enter your PIN, password, or pattern.
- Tap **Delete all** to confirm. The phone restarts and begins wiping.
Method 3: Hard reset via Recovery Mode (when locked or won’t boot)
Use this when the phone is locked out, stuck on boot, 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. Without it, the phone cannot be set up.
- Power the phone off completely. If it’s unresponsive, hold **Side + Volume Down** for 10+ seconds first.
- Connect the phone to a wall charger using a USB-C cable. Recent Samsung devices require an active USB connection to enter recovery.
- Press and hold **Volume Up** and the **Side button** together.
- Keep holding through the Samsung logo until the **Android Recovery** menu appears, then release.
- Use **Volume Down** to highlight **Wipe data/factory reset**, then press the **Side button** to select.
- Highlight **Factory data reset** and confirm with the **Side button**.
- When the wipe finishes, select **Reboot system now**.
After the reset
The phone boots to the Samsung Welcome screen, identical to first unboxing. You’ll be prompted to sign back into the Google account that was previously on the device — this is FRP, Samsung’s anti-theft measure, and it cannot be skipped. Once signed in, restore from a Samsung Cloud or Google backup, or set up as new. End-to-end encrypted message history and some game progress will not return from cloud backup.
Troubleshooting
I can’t remember the Google account that was on the phone before the reset.
Recover the account at accounts.google.com/signin/recovery using your recovery email or phone number. Samsung will not bypass FRP, even with proof of purchase. If the phone was previously owned by someone else, only they can remove it from their Google account.
Recovery mode won’t load — the phone keeps booting normally or shows a blue Download/Odin screen.
The blue screen means you held Volume Down instead of Volume Up — that’s Download Mode. Hold the **Side + Volume Down** for 10 seconds to exit, then retry with **Volume Up + Side button** and make sure the USB cable is plugged into a wall charger, not a computer.
Phone is stuck in a boot loop after the factory reset.
Re-enter Recovery and run **Wipe cache partition** first, then **Factory data reset** a second time. If it still loops, reflash the firmware using Samsung Smart Switch on a PC — connect the phone in Download Mode and use the Emergency Recovery option.
