How to safely erase data from iPhone

If you own an iPhone, here are the steps you need to take to remove all the data from the device before selling it to someone

If you are planning to sell your old iPhone to upgrade to the latest model, you need to give the smartphone a tune-up by deleting the data in its memory, for example. Before handing over your iPhone to a stranger, it is advisable to make sure that you have deleted everything correctly.

As you know, there is a lot of personal information contained on a mobile device. Without a doubt, the smartphone has become a more sensitive reservoir of confidential data than the computer. We store, in fact, not only phone numbers, but passwords, images and videos. Personal accounts are also stored on the device, including those used to make payments, especially electronic ones. In light of this, it is very important, when selling or transferring the smartphone to a third party, to delete all these data in complete security, thus protecting our privacy.

If you own an iPhone, let's see what steps you need to take to remove all data from the device.

Back up your data

Before formatting your iPhone, you need to make a backup of your data. The procedure will give you the ability to save and transfer the information to the new device later. Apple provides its users with two methods: iCloud or iTunes. The first one allows you to save your data in the "cloud", the second one on your Mac or another computer.

Let's consider iCloud storage. You need to use Wi-Fi connection. Open the iPhone settings and then click on "iCloud". Activate the "iCloud" item and click on "Backup now". This solution, however, has limitations. You can save a maximum of 5 GB of data to the cloud for free.

Let's move on to exporting data via iTunes. First, connect your iPhone to the computer and start the Apple program. Then select the device from "iTunes" and click on "Backup now".

Secure Data Deletion

All that's left is to delete the data from the iPhone. This is a secure procedure, which will permanently erase everything from the device. And it is, moreover, very simple to put into practice. In fact, you just need to enter the settings of your Apple device first. From here, the next step involves selecting the "General" item and, then, hitting "Initialize". Now, all we'll have to do is click on "Initialize content and settings" and the iPhone will erase all the data saved inside.

Beware though: in some cases, it's possible that the method doesn't completely delete some accounts linked to apps that require authentication via Touch ID. Check carefully and disable them manually.