What happens if I reset my smart watch
How to Reset a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
What to Know
- Factory reset from Galaxy Wearable app: Watch settings > General > Reset > Reset.
- Factory reset from watch: Swipe down, then select Settings > General > Reset > Reset.
- Soft reset: Press-and-hold both buttons > select Turn off. Once it's off, press-and-hold the power button.
This article explains how to reset a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. It covers multiple methods for both reset types: factory reset and soft reset (they're not the same!).
How to Factory Reset a Galaxy Watch 4
Below are two methods for triggering a factory reset on your watch. The first uses your phone via the Galaxy Wearable app; the other is done entirely on the watch.
Factory Reset From Your Phone
You need to connect your Galaxy Watch 4 to your phone, and it needs to be close enough to your phone to exchange information over Bluetooth. Here's what to do:
Place the watch near your phone, and make sure the watch is on and connected to the phone via Bluetooth.
Open the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone, and select Watch settings.
Scroll down, and select General.
Scroll down and select Reset.
Select Reset once more to confirm.
Factory Reset From the Watch
You can also factory reset a Galaxy Watch 4 directly from the watch:
From the main watch face, drag down.
Select Settings.
Scroll down and select General.
Scroll down and tap Reset.
Select Reset to confirm. Your watch will immediately being the reset procedure.
You can also select Back up data on this screen if you havent done so already.
How to Soft Reset a Galaxy Watch 4
If your Galaxy Watch 4 is giving you trouble, but you dont want to perform a factory reset, a soft reset can resolve many problems, especially if your watch has been on for an extended period. Performing a soft reset is the same as turning the watch off and back on.
There are two ways to perform a soft reset. One is initiated by pressing the buttons on the watch, and the other uses the quick panel.
Soft Reset Using the Buttons
Using the side buttons is the traditional way to soft reset a Galaxy Watch 4.
Press and hold both buttons on your Galaxy Watch 4.
Select Turn off.
Wait for the watch to turn off.
Press and hold the power/home button until the watch turns back on.
Soft Reset From the Quick Panel
Here's how you can soft reset your Galaxy Watch 4 from the quick panel:
On the main watch face, swipe down to access the quick panel.
Select the power icon.
Select Turn off.
Wait for the watch to turn off
Press and hold the power/home button until the watch turns back on.
Whats the Difference Between Factory and Soft Resetting a Galaxy Watch 4?
Knowing the difference between these terms is important because one will erase everything on the watch, and the other will reboot your watch.
When you soft reset a Galaxy Watch 4, it's the same as turning it off and back on again. It's similar to how it works when turning your phone, computer, or laptop off and back on, which is almost always one of the first steps in troubleshooting any problem. Since you're just power cycling the watch, the process won't remove any of your data.
Factory resetting a Galaxy Watch 4 removes all of your data and customization, disconnects the watch from your phone, and returns it to the same state it was when it originally left the Samsung factory. It's sometimes also used as a troubleshooting tool, but it's usually a last resort as you must go through the entire initial setup process again if you want to keep using the watch. It's also important to back up your watch before performing a factory reset unless you're not worried about losing your data and customization.
FAQ
How do I set up Galaxy Watch 4?
Before you set up your Galaxy Watch, make sure it is fully charged. Then, push the power/home button until it turns on. Install the Galaxy Wearable app, select Start, and follow the on-screen prompts to finish.
How do I charge my Galaxy Watch 4?
How do I turn off my Galaxy Watch 4?
To turn off the Galaxy Watch 4, press and hold the Home key and then select Power off. Alternatively, swipe down from the top of the screen to open the quick panel and select the Power off icon.
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How to factory reset your smartwatch
There are many reasons why you might want to factory reset your smartwatch. Perhaps an update got borked during download and no amount of troubleshooting has helped. Maybe you want to upgrade to a new model and plan to gift your current watch to a friend. Apple requires you to do it if you happen to forget your passcode. Or, its possible that smartwatches just arent your thing and youre ready to sell.
Whatever the reason, its important that you wipe the data from your device. Wearables are personal devices and store a ton of sensitive data especially if you primarily use your smartwatch for health and fitness tracking. As a general reminder, if youre not totally throwing in the towel on smartwatches, its a good idea to back up your data before you reset.
Each smartwatch has a slightly different method for a factory reset. Heres how to do it for some of the more popular smartwatches.
Apple Watch
If youve added your Apple Watch to your cellular plan, the first thing you should do is disconnect it. To do that:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap Cellular and then select the information icon next to your plan.
- Tap Remove.
This should be enough, but we all know how carriers can be. Apples support page notes that, in some cases, you may have to contact your carrier to disconnect your watch. If you plan on gifting or selling by a certain date, make sure to plan accordingly so youre not left scrambling.
To reset your Apple Watch:
- Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
- Go to General and then scroll down to Reset.
- Select Erase All Content and Settings.
- Confirm by entering your passcode.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5
There are multiple ways to reset the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 lineups, both from the watch and from your phone. As with the Apple Watch, if you have a cellular version, you should remove it from your plan first.
To remove the Galaxy Watch 4 or 5 from your cellular plan:
- Open the Galaxy Wearable app.
- Tap Watch settings.
- Scroll down to and tap Mobile plans.
- Remove your watch from your plan.
Again if you encounter any problems, you may have to contact your individual carrier, so make sure you dont leave this to the last minute. Once youve removed your watch or if you only have a Bluetooth version you can start the factory reset process.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap General.
- Swipe to Reset.
- If you havent already, you can tap Back up data.
- Tap Reset andenter your passcode if you have one.
To reset from your phone:
- Open the Galaxy Wearable app.
- Tap Watch Settings, and then General.
- Scroll down and tap Reset.
- Unlock your Galaxy Watch 4 and confirm that you want to reset.
- Enter your passcode if you have one.
Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa series
Neither the Sense nor Versa series has cellular connectivity so no need to worry about carriers here. Another boon is that the process is the same for all of Fitbits smartwatches.
To reset the Fitbit Sense and Versa series watches:
- Open the Settings app on the watch.
- Navigate to the About section.
- Select Factory reset.
- Confirm your choice to reset.
Google Pixel Watch
The Google Pixel Watch also has an LTE version, and if thats the watch you have, make sure that you also remove it from your carrier plan. Also, keep in mind that this is a first-generation device, so if you encounter any issues, you may have to call up your carrier to troubleshoot.
- Swipe down and tap the Settings cog from the control panel.
- Tap System.
- Scroll down and tap Disconnect & reset.
- If you enabled cellular, tap the Erase eSIM toggle to remove the watch from your phone plan.
- Tap the check mark to finish.
To reset from your phone:
- Open the Google Pixel Watch app.
- Tap System.
- Select Reset and unpair watch.
- If you enabled cellular, tap the Erase downloaded SIM toggle.
- Tap Reset.
Wear OS 2 smartwatches
Most Wear OS 2 smartwatches do not have cellular capabilities. One exception is the Fossil Gen 5 LTE, which is only available to Verizon customers. To turn off connectivity for that watch, youll have to check with the carrier.
Otherwise, heres how to factory reset Wear OS 2 watches.
- Swipe down and select the Settings cog.
- Navigate to System.
- Scroll down and tap either Disconnect and reset or Unpair with phone.(The options may differ slightly depending on the watch.)
- Confirm that you want to reset your watch.
Update October 25th, 2022, 11:45AM ET: This article was originally published on July 1st, 2022, and has been updated to include the Galaxy Watch 5 and the Google Pixel Watch.
How to reset a Garmin watch: soft reboot or factory reset
Your Garmin watch may be a very reliable companion, but there's still a small chance you'll need to perform a reset of some kind every now and again.
As with all connected gadgets, however, there are different kinds of reset at your disposal - and we'll cover them all below in this guide.
They include a soft reset to help you troubleshoot the likes of a frozen screen or glitchy GPS signal, a more modest reset that restores the watch's original settings, and a full-blown hard reset that returns the device to its factory settings.
Methods may vary slightly depending on the type of Garmin sports watch and the specific model you're using, so you may see slightly different instructions, but we'll explain the raw gist of it here.
> Top picks: Best Garmin watches for your needs
How to perform a soft reset on a Garmin watch
Wareable
Performing a soft reboot on many Garmin watches can take care of some issues you might experience during usage. For example, if something isn't working as expected, this can often be solved by powering the watch off and back on again. There are also a couple of ways to do so.
To perform a soft reset on your Garmin device:
- Hold down the power button (also labeled 'Light' and 'CTRL' on some watches) for 15 seconds
Alternatively, try this:
- Press down the power button until the carousel of options appears, then select 'Power off' from the menu
To power your Garmin watch back on, simply hold the power button for one second.
Tip: Make sure you sync your data before performing a soft reset, as it's possible some data may be lost when performing a reboot.
Reset Default Settings on a Garmin Watch (medium reset)
Wareable
Some Garmin watches, like the most recent Forerunner and Instinct models, enable you to reset the watch settings without losing all of your activities, personal data and music.
This is through the 'Reset Default Settings' option, accessible from the 'Settings' menu.
Although this method varies slightly depending on the watch and its buttons, it'll be roughly similar to the following steps:
1. On your Garmin watch, access the 'Menu' by holding down the button (often labeled 'Up').
2. Scroll down to 'Settings', then 'System'.
3. From here, find 'Reset' and tap through to select 'Reset Default Settings'.
4. You'll then be asked to confirm before restoring these settings. No activities or music will be deleted.
WARNING: Beware when attempting to 'Reset Default Settings'. Some of the more recent watches offer a "Restore Defaults" option (see below) which performs a hard reset.
How to perform a hard reset on a Garmin watch
Wareable
If you want to wipe the contents of your watch and all of the user-entered information, activity history and personal data, then a hard reset is the way to go. This is perfect if you plan on selling or handing down your watch to somebody else.
If youre keeping the watch and plan to continue using it, its important to consider that learned training data like VO2 Max, Distance Totals and Training Effect (if applicable) will be erased when performing this reset - and will be relearned thereafter. Some of the activity data can be transferred back to the watch when you re-pair.
There are slight variances in this method, which well explain below.
- On Garmin Forerunner, Fenix, Instinct and Vivoactive watches: Settings > System > Reset > Restore Defaults / Delete Data and Reset Settings
- On the Vivomove touchscreen watch:Settings > Delete Data and Reset Settings
- On the Approach golf watches: Settings > Reset > Delete Data and Reset Settings
- On the Quatix and Descent watches: Settings > System > Restore Defaults > Reset Settings
- Earlier Forerunner watch models: Menu > Settings > System > Restore Defaults > Yes.
How to Clear User Data on a Garmin Watch
On some watches, its possible to clear user data while maintaining your activity history.
This means user-entered information like your height, weight and age will be removed from the watch, but your activity data will be retained.
To clear user data, follow these steps:
1. Power down the device.
2. While holding the back button, power on the watch.
3. Youll be asked to confirm whether you want to 'Clear User Data'.
4. Release the back button and select 'Yes'.
Another way to Restore Default Settings
For most of the companys outdoor watches, theres also a way to find 'Reset Settings' or 'Delete Data and Reset Settings' without delving deep into the menus.
The first thing you need to do is power off the device. Heres what follows:
1. Before powering the watch back on, hold down the Back / Lap button.
2. With the Back/Lap button still held down, press the Power / Light button to power on the watch.
3. Continue holding the Back/Lap button until you see 'Restore Default Settings' on the watch face.
4. Release the Back/Lap button.
5. Select 'Yes'.
Once the process is complete, youll see the Garmin compass arrow appear on the display, and itll be time to set up and pair the watch again.
