Have you been inspired by the latest iPhone? And you started thinking of recycling or selling your old iPhone to upgrade it to a new one. In both cases, factory resetting your iPhone is essential to secure your private data. Protecting your personal data in the digital age is necessary due to the increasing number of cybersecurity threats.
However, if you fail to clean all your data before selling or recycling your old phone, your information can be used for any suspicious act. So, to ensure your data privacy, delete all the critical stuff to secure your sensitive information.
If you are searching for help resetting your iPhone, you are at the right place. In this blog, we will provide a comprehensive guide on factory resetting your iPhone before selling to ease your struggle.
Why is it Important to Reset your iPhone?
There can be many possible reasons to factory reset your iPhone. Here are some of the reasons to do so:
1. Fixing Generic Phone Problems
One of the primary reasons to reset your iPhone is to fix any system bugs or dangerous malware. However, resetting your phone can improve your phone performance if your phone slows down or faces any hang-ups.
2. Selling or Upgrading Your Device
If you are selling your iPhone or just upgrading your old one to the latest one, resetting your phone is essential to protect your data. When you factory rester your phone, it erases all your data, including contacts, text, messages, and photos. Factory reset also ensures that no one can access your sensitive information.
3. Cleaning Up the Excess Data
Your phone’s performance could improve if you delete all the unnecessary files and photos. So, it is always better to clean up your data occasionally. A factory reset provides a whole new setup to your phone, like it’s new, and frees it from unwanted data and apps.
Things to Remember Before Factory Resetting Your iPhone
Factory resetting means you are going to lose all your data, and you may have some sensitive data that you can’t bear to lose. So, it is essential to never miss out on the list below to perform the factory reset smoothly without any inconvenience.
1. Back-Up Your Data
If you have any critical data on your iPhone, backing up your data is the safest option to choose. It is essential to save all your important data, including photos, contacts, and documents, on another device or back them up and upload them to iCloud. However, we are providing you with steps to simplify your backup process and help you secure your critical data.
How to Back-Up Your iPhone to iCloud
Here are the quick steps to do before factory resetting your iPhone. iCloud backup is quite simple and quick.
- Connect your device to any secure Wi-Fi connection.
- Now go to your phone settings.
- Then, click and select your name.
- Now, tap on iCloud and then select the iCloud backup.
- Select the “Backup Now” to process further.
It is done! But don’t let your iPhone disconnect to Wi-Fi during the backup process. However, you can check your backup status, date, and time if you are still confused about the backup.
2. Deactivate All Accounts
Before factory resetting your iPhone, delete all your accounts to remove all your account-related information and clean your iPhone. Continue reading step-by-step to remove all your accounts.
You first need to turn off “Find My iPhone” or Activation Lock manually, and here’s how:
- Go to settings and choose your name.
- Now click on the “Find My iPhone” and turn it off.
Secondly, you must sign out your Apple ID for iTunes and iCloud. Follow the below steps to sign out:
iCloud for latest versions:
- Go to settings and choose your name.
- Click sign out.
- Now, enter your Apple ID and then tap Turn it off.
iCloud for old versions:
- First, go to settings and select iCloud.
- Now click sign out.
- Then confirm again by choosing sign out.
- Now tap “Delete From My Device” and enter your Apple ID to continue.
Sign Out of iTunes:
Follow the below steps to sign out iTunes:
- Go to settings
- Click on “iTunes & App Store” and enter your Apple ID.
- Lastly, click sign out, and you are done.
3. Unpair Your Apple Watch
Almost everyone now owns an Apple watch, and before factory resetting your iPhone, you must unpair your Apple watch if you have:
- Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
- Click on the “My watch” tab and then go to All Watches.
- Now go to the “info” button next to your watch.
- Then click on the “Unpair Apple Watch” tab and continue.
- Enter your Apple ID and password to disable the activation lock, and you are ready.
4. Remove Your SIM Card and Turn Off iMessage
SIM cards contain sensitive data like messages, contacts, and telephone numbers. To secure this information, remove your SIM card before performing a factory reset on your iPhone.
However, if you are switching to a non-apple user, don’t forget to deregister your iMessage. You can easily do it from message settings. Then, go to iMessage and toggle it off. In this way, your iMessage will be disabled, and data will be secure.
How to Perform a Factory Reset on Your iPhone
After successfully completing the backup steps, you can perform a factory reset on your iPhone without being concerned about your critical data. The below tutorial to quickly reset your iPhone:
- Go to the settings of your phone and then tap “General.”
- Then, click the transfer or reset device.
- Now click “Erase All Content and Settings.”
- Enter your Apple ID and password to erase your iPhone and remove it from your account.
- Tap Erase, and you have successfully completed the factory resetting process.
Resetting your iPhone to its factory settings takes only a few minutes, but it’s crucial for ensuring the security of your data. We have provided all the necessary details to make the process easier.
Wrapping Up
Now that you are fully aware of the factory resetting process, you can easily factory reset your iPhone on your own. Feel confident when selling, upgrading, or recycling your iPhone, as your personal data will remain secure and won’t end up in the wrong hands. However, don’t miss any step as each step is necessary to complete the resetting procedure.
