What is safe mode on Android and how to turn it off?

What is safe mode?

Safe mode is meant for troubleshooting purposes and all third-party apps are disabled from booting in this mode. Android OS takes precedence and it could not be over-ridden.

What can I do in safe mode?

As mentioned above, you can boot your Android device to safe mode for troubleshooting purposes like identifying an app that causes problems and deleting the app from the device.

How to troubleshoot issues while in safe mode?

Even though third-party apps are disabled in safe mode, cache and app data aren’t blocked within your device settings. So, you can try clearing cache, clearing app data and uninstalling the specific app while in safe mode.

• To clear cache: Open Settings > Apps > See all apps > Select the specific app > Storage & cache > Clear cache.
• To clear app data/storage: Open Settings > Apps > See all apps > Select the specific app > Storage & cache > Clear storage.  

Please note that deleting an app’s storage clears the cache and your user data for that app. You will have to set the app up again after this, but it may help you fix the app so you can get out of safe Mode.

• To uninstall the app: Open Settings > Apps > See all apps > Select the specific app > Uninstall > OK to confirm.

How to turn off safe mode?

If you are unintentionally stuck in safe mode, you can try the following to get out of it.

• Restart: Most of the time, restarting your device would bring it out of safe mode. Press and hold the Power button on your device until several device options pop up > Tap Restart.
• From notification panel: Pull down the notification panel > there will be a Safe mode enabled notification (if your phone supports this feature) > Tap the Safe mode enabled notification to turn it off.
• Using hardware buttons: If none of the above worked, you can try using the buttons. Turn off your device > press and hold the Power and Volume down buttons > This should open up recovery mode > use the volume buttons to navigate to Start > Press the Power button, and the phone will restart. These steps should bring your device out of safe mode.
• Factory Reset: The last and final resort to get out of safe mode would be to do a factory reset on your device. Open Settings > Scroll down and tap System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset). You might be needed to enter your device PIN/pattern/password to proceed further.

Please note that factory reset will delete all your internal data, so make sure you have tried all other options mentioned above before trying this option. Also, back up all of your data if possible, before doing a factory reset.