A bizzare thing happens when an app starts feeling smart:
It stops asking questions.
It decides.
And once it decides, you’re stuck living with that decision longer than you should.
I think any feature that adapts to users (recommendations, reminders, automation, smart defaults) should come with a Reset button.
Not hidden in settings.
Not clear data (nobody wants to do that).
A real, understandable reset.
Because people change and apps usually don’t notice fast enough.
The moment this goes wrong (it’s extremely common)
You open an app you used during a very specific phase:
Hookup era
Breakup era
Exam era
New job era
I’m going to become a fitness person era
…and the app treats that phase like your permanent identity.
You didn’t do anything wrong.
You just… moved on.
But the app keeps talking to an older version of you.
That’s why users don’t say this AI is bad.
They say:
- This app is annoying now.
- It doesn’t get me.
- Why is it still doing this?
What a Reset button fixes (in plain product terms)
1) It prevents overconfident personalization.
If your app is guessing wrong, a reset gives users a way out that doesn’t feel technical.
Arguable take:
If you don’t offer a reset, personalization will eventually become a retention problem.
2) It makes automation feel less scary.
When apps auto-do things (we scheduled this, we reordered this, we suggested this), users start feeling watched or managed.
Reset is a small way of saying:
“You’re still in control.”
3) It helps your app adapt to life changes.
New routines. New goals. New time zones. New preferences.
A reset is a clean way to mark: That was then.
Reset doesn’t have to mean erase everything
Here are a few versions that feel normal to users:
- Reset recommendations (start fresh)
- Reset routine (my schedule changed)
- Reset reminders (too many / wrong times)
- Reset the assistant (it’s giving me the wrong kind of help)
- Reset personalization (show me a broader mix again)
Even better: a soft reset:
- This isn’t me anymore
- Show less like this
- I’m in a different phase
- Start over
Where should Reset live?
1) Always visible on the main screen (strong opinion)
2) Only visible after the user shows frustration (safer)
3) Only in settings (common, but useless)
My opinion: if the feature changes what users see or get, Reset should always be one tap away.
Because the whole point is:
Users shouldn’t have to work to correct the app.
Quick checklist: when a feature needs Reset
If the feature…
- Learns from behavior over time
- Triggers messages (notifications, nudges)
- Changes content order / feed
- Changes what the user sees by default
- Makes predictions without asking
…it needs a Reset.
I wrote a deeper breakdown here (what to build first vs later)
Here is the full guide on which smart features belong at which stage of a mobile app (and what to delay until trust exists).
I want to hear the opposing view
What’s your take?
- Do Reset buttons make products feel less confident?
- Or do they make products feel more respectful?
And: what’s one app you wish had a reset because it learned you wrong?
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