Factory Reset Complete
The fake factory reset prank plays the "Erasing all content and settings…" screen every phone owner dreads, with a progress bar that crawls toward the end and never quite gets there. Nothing is reset, and it runs on any iPhone or Android.
Press F11 for maximum realism. Tap or press Esc to exit.
For the best results, add this to the device's home screen. It then opens with no address bar, no tabs and no URL, so there is nothing left to give it away.
Phones hold more that people cannot replace than laptops do (photos, messages, years of it), so this one gets a sharper reaction than any desktop prank. Use it accordingly. On a computer instead? The data wiped screen is the desktop version. Want something less brutal? Storage full just nags them.
How to use the factory reset complete prank
- On the phone, open this page and add it to the home screen (Share, then Add to Home Screen on iPhone; the install prompt or browser menu on Android).
- Open it from the new icon and press Launch Full-Screen Prank.
- Put the phone face up where it will be found. The bar creeps forward and the status line changes about once a minute.
- Tap the screen to end it as soon as the person looks worried.
What the fake factory reset screen does over time
A thin white progress bar sits on a near-black screen above "Erasing all content and settings…" and a smaller line asking not to power off. About once a minute the text moves on: removing accounts, erasing photos and media, removing apps, clearing caches, verifying the erase. After seven or so minutes it settles on "Almost done…", and the bar keeps inching forward for most of an hour without reaching the end.
It never finishes, which suits a phone left on a table. The screen is the same on iPhone and Android, with no Apple or Android logo.
Why the address bar ruins a factory reset prank
A real reset happens outside the browser, so any visible tab, URL or toolbar gives it away at once. Launching from a home-screen icon fixes that. Leave the phone unlocked with the prank showing, because a lock screen in front of it breaks the story. The page asks the screen to stay awake where the browser supports it, so it does not go dark mid-erase.
When a fake factory reset goes too far
A phone holds photos, chats and sign-in codes that many people have never backed up, so this one cuts deep. Skip it for anyone who has lost a phone's contents before, anyone waiting on an important call, and anyone likely to hold the power button to stop the erase. Holding power does no harm here, but it ends with a scared person and a restart. Tap the screen early and own it. For a phone joke with lower stakes, storage full only nags.
Frequently asked questions
Has my phone actually been reset?
No. Nothing has been touched. It's a browser page playing an animation. A web page cannot erase a phone, and a real reset lives behind Settings and asks for the passcode. Close the tab and every app, photo, message and setting is exactly where it was.
Does the fake factory reset work on iPhone and Android?
Yes. The wipe screen is kept plain (a thin progress bar, a dark background and two lines of text) with no Apple or Android branding, so it passes on either.
How do you fake a phone factory reset?
Open this page in the browser on the phone, add it to the home screen or go fullscreen, and hand it back. The wipe animation plays on its own, so the timing looks natural rather than triggered.
Why does hiding the address bar matter so much here?
Because a factory reset cannot happen inside a browser. A visible URL bar gives this prank away instantly. Launching from the home screen removes it.
Could this actually delete anything by accident?
No. The page has no access to files, photos, contacts or settings, and never requests a permission. There is no code path by which it could remove anything even if you wanted it to.
Can I get in trouble for using it?
The page is harmless and legal, but treat this as the most sensitive prank here. Losing a phone's contents means losing photos of people, saved messages, two-factor authentication codes and app access. Someone can be upset within seconds, so reveal it quickly, and skip it for anyone who would take it badly.
How do they get out of it?
Tap the screen, press Esc on a keyboard, or close the tab. Nothing is locked and nothing is mid-process, so there is no setup wizard and no restore from backup.