Did your child factory reset their phone, and now you might be wondering about lost data or missed parental controls? If yes, then dont worry; this guide is just for you. A factory reset basically removes the locally stored files, installed apps, safety settings, etc. However, you may still access data that you successfully backed up or synced before the reset through the relevant cloud service or backup. What you can recover depends on which services you enabled and what data they saved.
In this guide, we’ll share with you some immediate steps that you can take after a factory reset. We’ll also help you recover some available data depending on the type of data or whether a sync or back up was availble before reset. Keep reading!
What should parents do first after a factory reset?
Once you find your kids have done a factory reset on their smartphones, don’t immediately rush to restore the settings. Instead, you should first try to find out what’s still available and what needs to be set up again. Below is a simple checklist that might help you in this regard!
- Check the device’s current setup: First of all, you should turn on your child’s device and check what appears on the screen. If it’s the welcome screen, like Hello, Let’s get started, it means this device needs to be set up again. However, the home screen appearance points out that initial setup is already complete. Here, you’ll just verify which apps and settings are available.
- Verify the child’s account and device connection: Next, you’ll check whether the child’s previous account is still logged in or requires a fresh one. Make sure you connect it to the family account of parental dashboards because a factory reset might interrupt all of these.
- Look for available backups: Before you go to reinstall the apps or settings, you need to make sure a backup is available or not. If yes, then depending on the backup date, you can at least restore some apps, photos, or other content.
- Review which parental controls still work: Once you check the accounts and connection, go and check for parental control settings one by one. A factory reset might have removed certain restrctions depending on how you configure them. That’s why you need to chcek your kids account, set up the necessray supervision again and test them to ensure whether these are working properly or not.
- Make a list of what needs to be restored: Last but not least, you’ll compare the device’s current status with the previous one. After this, take a notebook/pen or open your notepad. Make a list of which apps, settings, or connections you need to back up.
You can start fresh too—with the same safety rules in place.
Can parents recover data after a factory reset?
It’s noteworthy that factory resetting usually removes the locally stored data; still, yes, you can retrieve some data. However, such data recovery depends largely on where you’ve stored information or whether any backup was available before the reset. Before moving forward, let’s clarify the difference between local and backup data!
- Locally stored data basically exists on the phone itself, like your photos saved in internal storage or downloaded files. In case of a factory reset, such data would get erased.
- In contrast, backup data is a copy of your data saved to an external service. Depeding on your device settings, these services usually include Google Drive, iCloud. Google photos also syn selected photos and videos separately from a full device backup. As a result of a factory reset, you can still get back this data after signing in with the same account. However the data available depends on which backup or sync options were activated before the reset and what information had been saved.
On Google’s Android help page regarding backups, they clearly mentioned about what Android users can back up. These include contacts, messages, call history, device settings & certain app data. Likewise, Apple also supports restoring iPhones from iCloud or computer backups. Remember! Neither of these processes gives a 100% guarantee that every item will be recovered.
How can parents restore parental controls after a factory reset?
It’s natural to wonder about restoring parental controls after a factory reset on a device. You don’t have to worry. Here we’ll share different tips to activate your parental controls again for a healthy digital atmosphere!
- Reconnect built-in parental controls: If you’ve activated the built-in parental controls previously, then resetting might have disconnected them. To reconnect on Android, your kids must sign in with the supervised Google account as before and finish any required prent verification if needed. For iPhone, you need to review your Screen Time and Family sharing settings and verfiy whether restrictions are active or not.
- Reinstall and configure third-party parental-control tools: If your family uses a third-party parental-control app, check whether you need to reinstall the child’s app after the reset. Follow the app’s setup process to sign in, bind the child’s device to the parent account, grant the required permissions, and reconfigure the intended limits and schedules.
- Review app permissions and access: Once you install the parental control app on the device, you need to check relevant permissions in Settings. These usually include app usage, notifications, location, etc., depending on your set boundaries.
- Make sure every restriction works properly: Finally, parents should make sure that all the boundaries they have set are working properly. For instance, check whether the apps and website categories you blocked are still restricted. Likewise, check whether the screen time limits/bedtime schedules are active as expected or not. If you find anything not working, you can review the settings, check permissions, or device compatibility.
Why might a child factory reset their phone?
Most parents also question why their kids go for a factory reset on their phones. Remember! This action doesn’t always point to something mysterious; there might be several reasons behind it. That’s why, before reaching any conclusion, parents need to understand what happened. This way they may respond accordingly. Let’s have a look at some common reasons for better understanding!
- When a reset seems like a technical fix: Sometimes phones bother kids due to frequent freezing, app crashes, slow performance, etc. In this scenario, they might see any video or post online recommending a factory reset as the best solution. It’s likely that risks of doing so were not in the instructions and kids proceed without knowing the impacts.
- Might happen by mistake: It’s also possible that kids might do a factory reset by chance, like while exploring settings or others. As a result, they don’t realize what actually happened until their apps and settings disappear.
- Wants to remove parental restrictions: However, in some cases, kids might not be satisfied with the parental restrictions. As a result, they do a factory reset to remove such boundaries. Remember! A reset alone isn’t enough to prove this intention.
How can families prevent future setup problems?
It’s noteworthy that managing your kids’ devices actually requires your ongoing attention. Below are a few healthy tips that families can follow to maintain digital boundaries!
- Review family rules as children grow: You shouldn’t think that the parental settings once made will work forever. Instead, you need to regularly review the settings and change them, considering your kids’ growing needs and habits. However, before changing any settings, openly discuss with your kids and understand which parental settings bother them and why.
- Keep account details and recovery options updated: Furthermore, parents should make sure to secure their accounts used to access kids’ devices with unique & strong passwords. Likewise, keep checking that all the recovery options, like backups, are always activated.
- Know what happens when a phone is reset: Parents should also know completely about what usually happens wth kids’ phones when they do a factory reset.
- Use parental controls to support everyday routines: If you want to better manage your kids’ everyday routine, you can try installing the FlashGet Kids parental control app. It serves as your virtual assistant to help you manage your kids’ bedtime schedules. You can also identify their digital habits via the usage reports offered by it.
Conclusion
In summary, if you find that your kids have factory reset their phone, then instead of assuming anything worse. First, you need to check your kid’s device’s current status. Understand which apps and settings are still working and what’s gone missing. After this, you’ll compare the list with the previous settings and look for backup options if available. To avoid setup problems in the future, make sure to activate the backup options. Openly communicate with kids about boundaries so they don’t intentionally do a reset to avoid restrictions.
FAQs
A factory reset just removes the child’s Apple ID or Google account from the phone. This doesn’t delete the account itself. After a reset, you can still sign back in with the same ID or account.
Yes, Android Factory Reset Protection or Apple’s Activation Lock may ask you to enter previous linked account credentials to ensure the ownership.
Indeed, yes, a kid can use the phone normally before you restore the parental controls. However, after restoring, you still need to configure all settings one by one, as some might not be working because of the reset.
Instead of complete restriction, parents can allow limited use under their supervision while checking its settings after a reset.
