How to Wipe or Reset Xiaomi Phone Completely

Xiaomi now makes some of the world's best flagship as well as medium-range smartphones and is considered among the top global brands. The frequency of phones releases by companies like Xiaomi, OnePlus, and others means consumers have more choices than ever before, almost on a monthly basis. That also means a lot of data to be transferred from old devices to new, but an even more important consideration is to reset or wipe Xiaomi phone or whatever device you intend to sell. With data theft being a serious problem in today's mobile market, consumers need to be more cautious than ever. This article talks about different ways to help you wipe Xiaomi phone completely with its own advantages and disadvantages for each.

 

Method 1: Simple Deletion for Contacts/SMS/Photos/Videos

The first method is to manually go into the individual apps and delete data. You can use this way to delete photos, text messages, videos, apps, contacts and other type of data on Xiaomi phone. While this may be easy to do if you don't have a lot of it, the process can take you several hours to do properly. Besides, you may miss some apps or some locations where data is stored.

In addition, you will need to check the memory card to see if any sensitive information is stored there. After that, you will need to clear browser caches and histories, as well as password histories. You will also need to sign out of various online accounts such as banking, email, cloud storage, and any other service that your device is connected to.

The advantage of this is that it will keep all your apps and settings in place. If the data accumulated on your device is fairly low or if you've only used the phone for a little while, it might be a good idea to do this. However, the disadvantage is that the manual process is not completely thorough. It is almost impossible to make 100% sure that everything private is gone. Overall, this method is not recommended because it doesn't completely wipe the phone; it merely deletes whatever data is accessible by the user.

 

Method 2: Reset Xiaomi Device via Phone Settings (Not Safe)

A better option is to do a factory reset. In simple terms, a factory reset brings the device back to its original state when it was manufactured. That means all data, all the apps you installed, and everything else on the phone except what Xiaomi had included will be gone. Thhis is a great way to erase all data on Xiao phone and fix system issues but this is not 100% safe. So factory reset is not the best way if you plan to sell the phone. For other non-critial purpose, reset is good to go.

As for the process, most new Xiaomi phones have already been upgraded to the powerful MIUI 12 as of May 2020, but it's likely that your old phone has an older version. The steps shown here are for the Mi 8 but might differ based on the model and MIUI version, but since they're all based on the Android source code, it should be very similar.

Step 1. The first step is to remove FRP applied by Google. This is a security feature that stands for Factory Reset Protection, which saves you data from being wiped if your device is lost or stolen. To do this, first remove your Google Account by going into Account settings and tapping on the Google icon, then tapping the Remove Account option.

Step 2. You will be asked to authenticate the request. You can do so, thereby removing FRP. Next, Go to the Settings app.

Step 3. Inside Settings, tap in this sequence: Additional Settings → Backup and Reset → Factory Data Reset and then tap on RESET PHONE . Now, wait for about 10 seconds. When you see the confirmation message, tap the OK button.

You can also do the same type of reset in Recovery mode (hard reset) but it is a little more complicated, which is why we've shown you the easy way. Although this should delete all your private data, there is still the risk of someone else using an advanced data recovery tool and retrieving sensitive information. For that reason, it is always recommended to use a third-party software tool that uses military-grade data erasure techniques to ensure that no recovery is possible.

 

Method 3: How to Wipe Xiaomi Phone Safely and Completely

FoneMoz is a well-known name in the mobile utility market, and DroidErase is their star player as far as data erasing is concerned. The software allows you to make your erased data virtually unrecoverable even with advanced Android recovery software.

This powerful desktop application can wipe more than 45 different types of data - something you can never do manually or even with a factory reset. The difference here is that the erasure is absolutely permanent and irreversible. It also means it's a good idea to take a full backup of everything on the phone in case you need it in the future or if you want to transfer it to your new Xiaomi phone. Here are the steps:

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Step 1 – Software Download

Step 2 – Connect Xiaomi Phone

Step 3 – Choose 'Erase All Data' Mode

Step 4 – Start Wiping Xiaomi Phone Completely

Honestly, this is a safe and secure method to completely wipe Xiaomi phone because there is no risk of changing system settings or anything like that. And it is much more safe than factory resetting Xiaomi phone. In addition, DroidErase from FoneMoz also gives you a smooth and easy interface to work with, which is ideal for beginners, elderly peoples, etc. There are also options to only erase private data, as well as erase general data from the phone. If you are an Android fan, then this software tool is an essential part of your toolkit, whether it's for a Xiaomi device or any number of other Android phones on the market today.

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