Android phones vary a little by brand, but the idea is the same everywhere: full power off, brief wait, power back on.
Standard restart
- Press and hold the power button for a few seconds.
- On many Samsung and Pixel phones, hold power + volume down instead if a voice assistant pops up.
- Tap Restart on the menu that appears. If there’s no Restart option, tap Power off, wait 30 seconds, then hold the power button to turn it back on.
- Once it boots, try the app or site again.
Tip: On newer Samsung phones you can also swipe down from the top, and tap the power icon in the quick settings panel.
If the phone is frozen
- Press and hold the power button (or power + volume down) for 20–30 seconds.
- The screen goes black and the phone reboots itself. Nothing is erased.
After the restart
Open the app that was misbehaving. If it’s still acting up, try force-closing the app or clearing the app’s cache.