How To Turn Off Encryption On Android

As we have mentioned in a number of previous blogs, encryption is a great way to protect your data – and something you may want to stick to if you have particularly sensitive data on your phone. If you have not tried it yet and would like to explore encryption opportunities, feel free to read about encrypting your phone in details in our post on How To Encrypt Data On Your Android Phone.

However, this here post is for those of you who have realized that, for some or other reason, encryption is not exactly your cup of tea and would like to go back to simpler times, when all of your data was presented as it was.

So how do you go about disabling encryption? Just as with the encryption process itself, let’s go step by step in our attempt to reverse it.

When dealing with the encryption processes (whether enabling or disabling it), we start off by connecting your smartphone to a charger. Your battery will have to be at least 80% full to kick off the process without leaving it connected to the charger – but we do encourage you to keep your phone connected to the charger, no matter how full the battery is. Interrupting the process can come with heavy consequences – so it’s better to be on the safe side.

The process itself will depend largely on the type of phone you have, as some models will make the decrypting process a piece of cake, while others may require more brain muscle.

To check what category your phone goes into, go to Settings>Security and find the encryption section on your phone. Here comes the difference: some models will come with a “decrypt” button in the menu. That makes the process quite straightforward. All you will need to do is tap the button, wait for the phone to reboot and give around 20 more minutes. What you will get back is your phone and all its data in the same form it used to be before you encrypted it. Hoorah!

Other models may not be so decryption-friendly and you may not find the helpful “decrypt” button under your smartphone’s settings. If you find out that this is the case with your smartphone – you will have to go with a total factory reset. You probably already know that for that you will have to head to Settings>Backup & Reset and approve Factory Reset. Quite naturally, you will have to make sure that all your data is backed up – as the reset will take it all away together with the encryption. However, once it’s all settled, you will get your phone back unencrypted and ready to work.

We should also mention here that with certain devices, there is no straightforward method of disabling encryption – like the ones that come with default full disk encryption. In this case, you can either accept the fact that this is how it’s going to go or look for less official ways to help your situation. You can find a few of these online, but as with anything unofficial, the consequences of following them are entirely upon you. Everything could go smoothly or you could wind up damaging your device – so make sure you think all of it through carefully.

Encrypting or decrypting your smartphone, as we have mentioned earlier, is a very personal choice and you should attentively weigh the pros and cons of the process before getting started. Perhaps, reading both – how to encrypt and how to decrypt your phone – will help you a more informed decision and avoid potential pitfalls in your search for the perfect balance.

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