Summary: Users are anxious if factory reset deletes everything on iPhone or not. This post clears what exactly factory reset does to your iPhone. It also shares the best tool – Stellar iPhone Erasure to permanently delete data so that no one can restore and misuse it after selling or donating an old iPhone.
You may have to factory reset your iPhone for various reasons.
It is known to fix many iPhone issues such as iPhone freeze or crash, stuck at Apple logo, iPhone stuck in boot loop, ‘0 bytes available’ message, and others.
Factory reset or hard reset is also recommended when you want to sell or donate your old iPhone. The objective is to ensure your personal information doesn’t reach strangers or gets misused.
But the question is, does factory reset deletes everything? If yes, then is it recoverable by any means?
What is the best method to permanently delete iPhone data, beyond the scope of recovery by any method?
This post answers all. But before that, let’s know how Apple suggests to reset iPhone using its device settings.
| How to Factory Reset iPhone Directly from Settings |
You can factory reset iPhone via settings on your device. Close all the apps and follow the below steps on your iPhone to factory reset:
- Go to Settings > General > Reset.
- Click on Erase All Content and Settings.
- Enter Apple passcode and tap on Erase iPhone.
As the process finishes in some time, the iPhone restarts itself.
What does factory reset does to your iPhone?
Factory reset or hard reset deletes complete data and settings from your iPhone. All your photos, videos, contacts, call logs, passwords, messages, browsing history, calendar, chat history, notes, installed apps, etc., get deleted from the iOS device.
It cleans your iPhone as new with no personal information at all.
What remains on iPhone after factory reset?
Only the original iOS software pre-installed by Apple remain on the device after factory reset. This includes the iOS, Calculator, Calendar, Camera, iMessages, FaceTime, Clock, Compass, Contacts, etc. But any data saved in these apps gets deleted.
Does factory reset deletes data from iCloud and iTunes?
No. Factory reset of iPhone doesn’t delete your information from iCloud or iTunes backup.
The iCloud backup files are stored in Apple’s cloud servers while your iTunes backup files are saved on your PC or Mac drive.
This is why it is recommended that before factory reset, back up important iPhone photos, videos, contacts, etc., in iCloud or iTunes.
What does Factory reset does to jailbroken iPhone?
Jailbreaking removes the software restrictions imposed by Apple. It allows you to install software that are not available in the App Store.
If you factory reset jailbroken iPhone, the jailbreak software gets deleted. All the apps installed by you are also removed. Thus, factory reset removes jailbreak from your device completely.
| Better and secure way to permanently erase iPhone before selling |
Although factory reset using “Erase All Content and Settings” makes your data on iPhone inaccessible, but it is still recoverable. This means that in spite of factory reset before selling or exchange of iPhone; another user can access your personal information by using recovery tools.
So opt for a safer method to permanently wipe iPhone data such as Stellar iPhone Eraser. It is an advanced iPhone data eraser software that ensures your data and documents, photos, videos, recordings, passcodes, contacts, messages, etc., are deleted permanently.
The software wipes iPhone data by overwriting it multiple times.
Overwriting ensures that no information is recovered by a data recovery solution. Your iPhone is set to the original factory settings.
You can use the data erasure tool to wipe series of iPhone 14, 13, 12, 11, SE 2, SE, XS MAX, XS, XR, X, 8, 7, 6, and below. It supports latest iOS 16 and below versions.
Key benefits of professional iPhone erasure tool:
- Cleans and resets old iPhone to factory default settings
- Permanently wipe iPhone data making it unrecoverable
- 100% secure to use before selling old iPhones
- Supports all iPhones and iPads models
Steps to erase iPhone data permanently with software:
Step 1: Download and run Stellar Toolkit for iPhone on your PC or Mac computer.
Step 2: Select Erase Data.
Step 3: Erase iPhone Data screen appears. Click Next.
Step 4: Plug in your iPhone into the computer when prompted.
Step 5: Click Erase.
Step 6: In an Erase Process dialog box, select ‘Yes’ to start the erasing process.
Step 7: After the process completes, in ‘Data Erase Completes’ dialog box, click OK.
Conclusion
Factory reset deletes everything on iPhone but the data can be recovered with the help of an iOS recovery tool. Thus, whenever you wish to sell or donate an old iPhone, instead of just doing a factory reset using iPhone’s settings, use Stellar iPhone erasure software. This ensures that your sensitive and personal information is not found and used misused later.
Hope this post answers your doubts related to factory reset on iPhone and when you should use an iPhone data erasure software.
You can also free download the iPhone data eraser tool here.
About The Author
Nishat Paiker is an expert technical writer and editor with over 8 years of experience. She has deep knowledge about data recovery and loves to explore new technology and DIY tools. Nishat has keen interest in photography. You will often find her giving photography tips and hacks.
