Knowing how to turn off Safe Mode on Android comes in handy, since Safe Mode is a built-in troubleshooting tool that disables every third-party app on a phone and switches on Airplane Mode, making it easier to isolate an app causing lag, battery drain, or other issues. It’s also useful for safely deleting a suspected malicious app, since Safe Mode strips away any interference or backend processes that app might otherwise trigger.
Turning Safe Mode on is simple: holding down the Power Off button from the power options menu brings up a Safe Mode option, and selecting it restarts the phone directly into that mode. That simplicity cuts both ways, though – it’s just as easy to trigger Safe Mode by accident. That trade-off between convenience and accidental activation is what sends most people looking for a fix. A phone stuck in Safe Mode outside of troubleshooting means grayed-out apps and a device that isn’t behaving normally, which can be frustrating for anyone who didn’t mean to end up there. The good news is that getting out of Safe Mode doesn’t take long.
How to turn off Safe Mode on Android
There are two straightforward ways to turn off Safe Mode, and which one is quickest depends on whether the power button or the notification shade is easier to reach at the moment.
The quickest way is a restart:
- Open the power options screen by holding the power button, or the power and volume down button together, depending on the Android model in use.
- Select Restart.
- Safe Mode turns off once the phone finishes restarting.
Alternatively, the Notification Menu works too:
- Swipe down from the left side of the screen to open the Notification Menu.
- Look for the notification confirming the phone is in Safe Mode.
- Tap that notification for the option to turn Safe Mode off.
Airplane Mode and Google Play Protect
Airplane Mode can stay active even after Safe Mode is switched off – the airplane icon in the status bar will confirm it. If so, swipe down from the right side of the screen to open Quick Settings and tap the plane-shaped icon to turn it off.
Safe Mode isn’t the only Android safeguard that can end up causing headaches of its own – Google Play Protect can also become a source of frustrating phone limitations, though thankfully it’s just as easy to fix.
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Robert Haba is the founder and editor-in-chief of Droid Tools. A lifelong gadget enthusiast with over a decade following the Android ecosystem, he built this publication to cut through the noise and give readers honest, real-world coverage of the tech they actually use.
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