Android Safe Mode Gives You Power Over Misbehaving Apps

Jelly Bean has hit the Android Open Source Project’s online code repository, new information on some of the platform’s features has started to emerge as more and more users get a chance to try it out. One we’re just hearing about now has some definite PC roots, as anyone who’s spent some time diagnosing a buggy Windows installation can attest to; Android 4.1 introduces the ability to booth the OS into a “safe mode”.

Just like safe mode on a PC, where a minimal set of drivers and programs is loaded in order to avoid any system instability caused by third-party software, Android safe mode is all about stopping problem apps in their tracks. When booted into safe mode, Android won’t load any such programs into memory, giving you the opportunity to uninstall a problem app, even if it had been messing up your phone every time it ran on boot.

To trigger safe mode in Android 4.1, you long-hold the power button to bring up the phone options menu, and then long-hold on the “power off” option to be presented with the opportunity to boot into safe mode.