How To Erase Data On iPhone: 4 Easy Methods

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Do you want to erase data on iPhone? Maybe you are going to sell your iPhone, or you just want to start over with a clean slate. Whatever the reason, there are several ways to erase all the data on your iPhone.

In this article, I will show you how to erase data on your iPhone in four ways: using factory reset, iTunes, iCloud, and Umate Pro.

Four Ways To Erase Data On iPhones

Before we get started, it is important to note that when you erase data on your iPhone, there is typically no way to recover it.

So, if you have any important data or files that you want to keep, make sure to back them up before proceeding. One of the best apps to do this is iTransor, which can backup and restore over 18 types of data, like messages and contacts, from your iPhone without iTunes or iCloud.

It costs $39.95 for 5 iOS devices for 1 year and $49.95 for 10 iOS devices for 1 year.

With that out of the way, let’s proceed to the methods for erasing data on iPhone!

Using Factory Reset

The quickest and easiest way to erase data on your iPhone is to use the factory reset feature. When you factory reset iPhone, you will erase all the content and settings and restore it to the factory default settings.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Go to the Settings app and click General.
Factory reset found in Settings then General tab in iOS device
  1. Scroll down and click Transfer or Reset iPhone.
Transfer or Reset iPhone found in General Settings in iOS
  1. There are two options here, Reset and Erase All Content and Settings Click Erase All Content and Settings if you want to fully reset iPhone. This will erase iPhone data and it to its original state as if it was fresh out of the box. However, it will retain the phone’s firmware version and software updates.
Erasing all contents and settings in an iPhone device
  1. Your iPhone will show your details so that you can double-check. Click Continue to reset your iPhone.
Continue button to confirm reset of iPhone

Here’s a detailed video from Apple Support showing how it’s done:

YouTube player

Using iCloud

Another way to erase iPhone files and data is to use iCloud. iCloud is the native cloud iPhone storage service found on Apple devices. It allows you to store data like photos, videos, and music in the cloud. This data syncs across all your Apple devices.

All Apple devices come with a free 5GB of iCloud storage, but you can always upgrade to a paid plan if you need more storage space. The upgrades costs $0.99 per month for 50GB, $2.99 per month for 200GB, and $9.99 per month for 2TB.

Deleting your iCloud will delete all the data that you have on it.

1. Go to privacy.apple.com. You can do this on either your phone or your desktop.

2. You’ll be asked to sign in to your account. Enter your email address and your Apple ID password.

Sign in website page of Apple company where you need to enter username and password of your Apple ID

3. Click Allow when it asks you to confirm your sign-in.

Allow button to continue with the sign in process

4. Enter the code for Two-Factor-Authentication.

Two-factor authentication prompt for added Apple ID security

5. Once you’re in, you’ll see various options under Manage your data. At the very bottom, you’ll see the option to delete your account. Click “Request to delete your account.”

Request to delete your account in the Apple company official website

6. The next page will show a long list of reminders. Apple wants to make sure that you know the risks of deleting your account. You also have to let them know why you want to delete your account.

Long list of reminders and a reason selection to why deleting an account has to be done

7. Once you’re done reading, select a reason for the account deletion and click Continue.

Selecting one of the reasons why you are deleting your Apple account

This will delete all of the data associated with your iCloud account from your iPhone. Again, deletion is permanent, so make sure that you backed up your device first before you do this process.

Using iTunes

iTunes is Apple’s official software for managing your iPhone. You can use it to sync music, videos, and other data to your iPhone.

iTunes is also a great way to erase iPhone files and data without your Apple ID password. Not to mention, it’s relatively simple to do.

Just follow these steps:

1. Launch iTunes and connect your iPhone using the correct cable.

2. A phone icon should appear on the top left corner of the window. Click it.

Choosing the phone icon in the iTunes app

3. Next, click the Restore iPhone option on the right side.

Restore option button beside the Check for Update on an iTunes Mac OS

4. A pop-up window will appear asking if you want to back up your phone first before resetting it. If you haven’t made a backup yet, it might be a good idea to back up your device first. If you just want to proceed to the restoration, simply click Don’t back up.

Pop-up window with back up your phone first option

5. iTunes will ask you for confirmation. Click Restore.

Restore button to continue the process of restoration on your iPhone device

6. Wait for iTunes to finish resetting your phone.

Waiting time progress bar in restore an iOS device

6. Once the process is done, your iPhone will now be erased and restored to its factory settings.

Restore iPhone from back up option page in setting up a new iOS device

Using Umate Pro

If you want a more complete solution to permanently erase data on your iPhone, we recommend using Umate Pro. This is a professional iPhone data eraser that can completely wipe all of the data from your iPhone.

It can also erase previously deleted files, as well as any hidden or encrypted data. This makes it an ideal solution for those who are looking to sell their iPhone.

iMyFone Umate Pro app official website landing page

Umate Pro also has other features, like the ability to compress and delete photos, as well data from apps.

Apps like Facebook and WhatsApp often leave behind a lot of data, even after you’ve deleted them. Umate Pro can help you clean up this data to free up more space on your phone without deleting anything important.

Additionally, Umate Pro features a special three-level deletion option.

  • Low-level deletion means your data will be removed from your device, and it’s twice as fast as the other detection levels.
  • Medium-level deletion means your files will be overwritten so that even if they get recovered, they won’t contain the same information as the original files.
  • High-level deletion will ensure that even your sensitive information like bank logins will be completely unrecoverable from your phone.

As you can see, the higher deletion levels make it extremely convenient if you’re 100% sure that you want to destroy all your data forever – the downside is that you can’t get it back no matter what, so make sure you back up everything important.

Umate Pro costs $29.95 for a single license and $39.95 for a family license, which can be used on up to 5 devices. A free trial is also available if you want to try it out first.

Here’s how to use Umate Pro to erase iPhone data:

1. Launce Umate Pro and connect your iPhone to your computer.

2. Once it is connected, make sure you’re on the “Erase All Data” tab at the side.

Erase all data tab in Umate Pro app

3. Next, tap Erase.

Erase all data option of selected device in iMyFone Umate Pro app

4. As mentioned above, you can change the security level of your deletion process.

Security level selection for your deletion process

5.  Pick the one you’re most comfortable with and click OK.

High level option in selecting security level of erasing data

6. Type delete to confirm your decision and click Erase Now. Once you do, all of the data on your iPhone will be erased.

Erase now button to confirm the deletion of data on the device

Do you think you might like Umate Pro? You can find it here!

FAQs

Does Erasing iPhone Remove iCloud?

Erasing iPhone removes iCloud from your phone, but it doesn’t erase any data associated with your account. Your photos, contacts, messages, and other data uploaded on iCloud will be completely safe unless you erase them from iCloud directly.

Does Erase iPhone Delete Everything?

Erase iPhone deletes everything. This means all of the data on the device, like messages, contacts, photos, videos, notes, and many other things, will be gone. That’s why it’s important that you back up before erasing.

How Do I Completely Delete Data From My IPhone?

The best way to completely delete data from your iPhone is to use a data eraser like Umate Pro. This will completely wipe all of the data from your iPhone, including any hidden or encrypted data.

Erasing iPhone Data: In Conclusion

As you can see, erasing your iPhone data isn’t difficult at all. In this article, I presented four ways that you can do it: restoring your iPhone to factory default, using iTunes to restore your phone, erasing your iCloud account, and using Umate Pro.

If you want a more complete solution, I recommend using Umate Pro. This is a professional iPhone data eraser that can remove all traces of your deleted files, making sure that you’re completely safe from potential problems down the road.

Did you like this article? Do you have any questions? Let me know below!

Photo of author

Hemant Mendiratta

Hemant Mendiratta is a co-founder of TechUntold and a passionate tech blogger, avid gamer, and social media guru who keenly monitors useful apps and gadgets. He is the ideator of our Instagram tool StoryHoot which allows watching Instagram stories anonymously. You can connect with him on: Facebook, Twitter.

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