iPhone (iPad) is a very personalized device, one might say intimate. We store payment information, personal photos, notes, correspondence, etc. on our gadgets. However, sooner or later the time comes to part with your favorite smartphone or tablet. For example, sell it or send it in for repairs. How, then, can you quickly delete all your personal data from your iPhone or iPad with “one click”?
For experienced users, this issue is not a problem, because there are three relatively simple ways to completely delete personal information from a device (we will describe them in detail below), but beginners often resort to the tedious procedure of manually deleting the most important data. To avoid such a routine task, we offer instructions on how to delete all content downloaded by the user to the iPhone or iPad during use.
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Erase iPhone content and settings - what does it mean?
You can check your guess that your iPhone is overloaded in a simple way:
- open your phone’s “Settings”;
- refer to the “Basic” section;
- look into iPhone Storage.
Overloaded memory can slow down your iPhone
This section displays information about how much phone memory is used and the “weight” of each application. The “storage”, like the dust collector of a vacuum cleaner, collects all mobile garbage in one place. What do you do with an overfilled garbage bag? It's being cleaned. It is better, of course, to do the cleaning after each cleaning, but this rule is not always followed. The same thing happens with the phone: when the memory is overloaded, it needs to be freed up so that the iPhone can continue its usual work without being burdened. To do this, you need to erase the content and settings of your iPhone.
Note! All user-installed applications and basic program files will be deleted from the device’s memory, and the settings will be returned to factory settings.
Can my smartphone be hacked before I delete everything?
In order to send a deletion command, the smartphone must be connected to the Internet. Of course, if someone found it and is not going to return it, they will definitely remove the SIM card and allow the gadget to enter the Network. In this case, some manufacturers provide hardware protection for the content. For example, this is how Samsung's Knox platform works. It creates a special protected section where ordinary applications (as well as the user himself) do not have access.
The cryptographic keys that Knox uses to encrypt information are created and embedded in gadgets at the production stage. They cannot be replaced or transferred to another device. The platform allows you to detect external intrusions into the system. For example, if someone tries to directly tamper with the phone's electronics - for example, using laser radiation or electromagnetic damage - the protected information in the storage may self-destruct, making it simply impossible to access.
- Exploitation
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Why do you need to reset settings and content on iPhone?
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Why give such a shake-up to the phone? As a rule, this is a forced measure. The most common reasons why the owner decides to reset the device:
- lack of free memory space (if the iPhone is actively used, but the owner neglects the “cleaning” rules, then such a problem will certainly arise);
- pre-sale preparation (if you decide to sell your iPhone, it is better to delete not only photos from it, but also all applications with accounts that store your login and password);
- iPhone repair (if you leave your phone at the service center, it is better to also delete the content before doing this);
- Problems connecting to a mobile or wireless network.
As for repairs, resetting the content may seem like an unnecessary measure, but it will protect against possible troubles.
What to do before resetting settings and content on iPhone
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The first thing you need to do before resetting your iPhone to factory settings and deleting content is to create a backup copy. It will come in handy if something goes wrong during deletion or if some information needs to be restored later.
You can make a backup directly through your iPhone or iTunes. To create a copy via phone, you need:
- Open "Settings".
- Log in to your name account.
- Select “iCloud” from the menu.
- Click on the “Backup” sub-item.
- Then “Create a backup copy.”
After completing simple steps, all information from the phone will be copied to cloud storage, from where it can be retrieved at any time after entering your Apple ID.
Before wiping your phone, you need to create a backup
To create a backup via iTunes, you will need a computer and a USB cable to connect to your iPhone. After connecting, there are a few steps left to do:
- Launch iTunes.
- Log in to the displayed iPhone.
- Click “Create a copy now.”
- Wait until copying finishes.
- Check the result by going to the “Devices” - “Latest copies” tab.
If the copying is completed without failures, then “Latest Copies” will display information about the transferred files with the name “Today on this computer” indicating the exact time.
Important! A backup copy will allow you to restore important data on your phone after repair or cleaning. It will also be useful if you replace it with a new iPhone, then you won’t have to set up all accounts manually.
Changing account
It is much easier to change an account on an iPhone than to completely delete it. You don’t need a computer for this; all actions will be performed directly in the gadget.
- First, go into the gadget settings.
- In iOS 11, just click on the first line where your first and last name is written. If you are working with earlier versions, then you need to select “iTunes store, App Store”.
- In iOS 11, scroll to the bottom of the page, where we click “Exit”. In previous versions, click on Apple ID and log out.
- After logging out of your account, you can connect a new one. The account changes in just a couple of minutes. This is the fastest and easiest method for deleting an iPhone account.
Delete content and settings on iPhone 5 s and other models
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How to clear phone memory? The first thing that comes to mind is to do it manually. However, this method is bad because all data will be deleted permanently. And the phone stores not only social network accounts, but also passwords, for example, for banking applications.
Apple programmers thought through this situation and included in the devices the option of correct cleaning with the ability to restore data through backup copies. The user can independently perform a complete or partial cleaning of his iPhone.
A full wipe involves deleting all data and returning the iPhone to factory settings. So, how to reset everything on iPhone 5s? You can do this on the iPhone itself:
- Go to “Settings”.
- Select "Basic".
- Then "Reset".
- Click "Erase content and settings."
- Enter the password and confirm the action by clicking on “Erase iPhone”.
After this, the phone will proceed to reboot and turn on completely cleaned.
You can delete content and settings through the iPhone's Settings.
The iPhone also has partial cleaning options. For example, the device began to have problems connecting to a mobile or wireless network. The solution does not require deleting all data completely; it will be enough to reset the settings. You can reset all settings and return your phone to factory settings while keeping your data and media files. How to delete all settings from iPhone:
- Return to "Settings".
- Go to "General".
- Select "Reset".
- Tap on the “Reset all settings” tab.
- Enter the password and confirm the reset decision.
As a result, the phone will return to factory settings, but personal information and media files will remain intact.
The iPhone provides partial cleaning options:
- reset network settings;
- keyboard dictionary;
- Home screen;
- geo settings.
Perhaps these are not the most clogging items on the phone and affecting its operation, but the developers considered that these are the options that should be added to the “Reset” menu.
How to reset your account on iPhone? Another important question with a simple solution. Resetting an account most often means unlinking the Apple ID from a specific iPhone. To break the connection, you need to click on the name at the very top of the page in “Settings”. In the menu that opens, find the “Log Out” item and activate it. After entering the password, the account will be deleted from the iPhone.
The limited selection of partial cleaning options is disappointing, but it's still better than nothing
How to completely erase an iCloud account
Sometimes users need not only to disconnect their iPhone from the cloud service, but to delete their account, for example, if they no longer use Apple products or have registered a new account, and in order not to duplicate them, they decided to erase old data. Fortunately, Apple developers have foreseen this outcome and provided all the necessary tools to delete your ID yourself. What you need to do:
- The entire process is carried out on the official website of the corporation in a separate section. From a tablet or computer, follow the link https://privacy.apple.com/ and log in using the ID that needs to be deleted;
- Once authorization has been completed, you need to scroll down the page to the “Delete account” item;
- Click this tab and confirm that you agree to delete your account. At this stage, a 12-character code will be generated, which can be communicated to the support service, for example, if you change your mind within 7 days. This is a very important point, especially when someone else decided to delete your account. If you do not provide them with this information, then in a week the ID will be completely deleted!
Recovery after cleaning iPhone
All information deleted from the iPhone can be restored. The main thing is not to forget to make a backup copy. If the data was saved from the iPhone to cloud storage, then you can return it from the phone. To do this you need:
- During the first setup after cleaning, go to “Applications and data”.
- In the list that appears, select “Recover from iCloud”.
- Enter your Apple ID.
- Then select the latest backup and click “Restore”.
If the data was saved to your computer via iTunes, you can also restore it by following these steps:
- Connect your iPhone to your computer.
- After launching iTunes, select your phone.
- In the “Backups” menu, go to the “Restore from a copy” tab.
- In the list that appears, select the one you need and click “Restore”.
Attention! If you have problems restoring backups, it's worth checking iOS. You may need to update to the latest version.
Resetting settings and clearing content helps to unload the iPhone's memory and thereby improve the performance of lagging devices. And the backup option makes total cleaning painless. Despite the fact that the procedure is most often forced, the ability to carry it out is a big bonus for Apple customers.
Via the official website
To through the office. Apple website change email, follow the instructions:
- Go to the Apple website, scroll down the page until “Manage your Apple ID” is displayed.
- Follow the link, enter the data, and log in to the resource. Then we answer 2 security questions specified during registration.
- Click on the “Edit” icon next to your information.
- Select “Change Apple ID” and enter a new e-mail. We answer the specified security questions. If you have forgotten these questions, click “Reset”.
- Then open the confirmation letter that was sent by e-mail.
Now your account is no longer tied to mail. You can register a new Apple ID account.
