Android’s ability to open apps by default when certain links are selected or certain pages are visited in Chrome or another browser is a powerful feature. But that doesn’t always mean it’s desirable.
If, for example, you try to visit Twitter.com to adjust a web-specific setting, you’ll be automatically redirected to the app. And that goes for just about any app that has a web presence, too. Potentially causing significant issues for those with different online and offline functionality.
Luckily, with Android, you also have the option to put an end to this for any individual app. And, of course, if you make a mistake setting these features to your liking, it’s pretty easy to reset all apps to their default settings on Android too. This is, in fact, exactly what this guide offers to help you accomplish.
Like almost all of our how-to guides for Android, this walkthrough will work for both Android tablets and phones. So let’s dig.
Here’s how you can reset your default apps on Android
Now, the problem with accidentally or unknowingly setting default apps in Android is that it’s not always easy to tell which app has been set. And while it’s fairly easy – and this guide will show you how – to reset a single app, going through all your apps can be a hassle. Especially if you have dozens of apps installed. Or hundreds.
Luckily, there is a solution for that too. Although this requires that all settings be reset to default. You will therefore have to configure the default values that you To do want to start all over again afterwards.
Remove default settings for a specific application
- Swipe down – twice on some Android devices – from the notification shade to reveal the gear-shaped Settings icon
- Select the gear-shaped settings icon
- Scroll to select the “Apps” option, in the Settings app
- Select “See all apps”, if necessary, to view all apps installed on your smartphone or tablet
- Scroll through the available apps to discover the app whose settings you want to reset to default, then select it. In our sample images we have selected the stock calculator as there are many other calculators to choose from
- In the application-specific menu, select the “Open by default” option. You may need to scroll down to see the correct option
- Disable the toggle that says “Open supported links”
- Repeat for all remaining apps for which you want to disable default settings
Reset all your apps settings to default.
- This part of the guide actually starts exactly like the previous segment. Namely, you’ll start with a swipe down – or twice on some Android devices – from the notification shade to reveal the gear-shaped Settings icon. And then you will select this icon.
- Scroll to select the “Apps” option, in the Settings app
- Rather than scroll through your apps this time around, you’ll need to select the three-dot overflow menu at the top right of the UI. As our sample pictures show below
- Then, in the overflow menu that appears, select “Reset app preferences”
- Your device will issue a warning, which we will discuss momentarily. But be sure to read it, to make sure you agree with the changes it will bring. Then select the “Reset Apps” button.
Be Aware of What Really Happens When You Reset All Your App Preferences
Now, as noted above, resetting all of your app preferences does a lot more than just resetting which apps open what by default. It is therefore important to understand exactly what is being reset.
For starters, the setting will, in fact, reset all of your apps to default settings. This means that the applications you have previously configured not to open by default will again. And much more.
The setting also resets any app notification changes you’ve made. So if you’ve set the apps not to notify you, you’ll have to do it again. And the same goes for permission restrictions, background data usage restrictions, and more. This will potentially leave you with a lot of settings to reconfigure, depending on how deep your device is configured, to begin with.
All that to say you probably shouldn’t reset all from your app preferences to their default settings, unless you absolutely need them. Fixing all the issues you might encounter in the settings of a single app, as discussed in the first segment here, is the most viable option in most cases.
