Factory resetting your iPhone wipes your user information completely, erasing all of your installed applications, accounts, photos, videos, saved contacts, and anything else you have stored or installed on your iPhone. If you have information in a cloud storage program like Google Docs or Dropbox, that info will still remain under your user account. However, that account and password information will no longer be saved in that iPhone. None of your account info or passwords will be saved. Factory resetting restores it to factory condition, taking it back to the welcome screen. Only Apple-installed applications remain, like the health app and wallet, but again, your user data will not remain in those applications.
Before performing a factory reset, make sure you are certain this action will achieve your desired results. You typically do not need to perform a factory reset to update your iOS version, to make room for more applications, or for troubleshooting purposes. There are often less drastic measures you can take to free up space or improve your phone’s performance. Occasionally, you can perform a factory reset in extreme troubleshooting situations, but this is rarely the best option.
Here are times when it is appropriate to factory reset your iPhone.
When you get a new iPhone, you’ll probably want to factory reset your old phone. Thankfully, Apple has made switching over relatively simple. You just turn on your new iPhone, place it near your old phone, and follow the on-screen prompts.
Once you know for certain your new iPhone is all set up and activated, you have everything you need from the old phone (you’ve backed up your old phone if needed), you’ve signed out of Apple services that use your Apple ID, and you’ve removed any paired devices like Apple Watches from your old iPhone, then you should perform a factory reset. After factory resetting, go under your Apple ID in your new phone and remove your old phone from your list of trusted devices if it’s still listed.
When you get a new iPhone, factory resetting your old phone helps prevent your user data from getting into the wrong hands. Even if you don’t plan on selling or trading in your phone, it’s still a good idea to wipe it if you’re not going to be carefully keeping track of the device.
Android phones continue to become more attractive as their features and specs evolve more and more rapidly. If you’re moving from an iPhone to one of the best Android phones like a Samsung Galaxy S21 or a Pixel 6 Pro, it’s wise to perform a full factory reset on your old iPhone. You’ll want to de-register iMessages in addition to the other steps you’d take if you were switching from an iPhone to a new iPhone.
If you’re getting rid of your iPhone for any reason, even if you’re not upgrading, you’ll still want to reset the device. Maybe you’re going back to an older-model phone. Perhaps you want to just use a tablet and not carry a phone at all.
Anytime you’re no longer going to be using an iPhone, you’ll want to get rid of all of your personal info, accounts, and data on that phone.
If you’ve contacted Apple support, and the support technician says a factory reset is the answer to your issue, then it might just be the best option. You’ll absolutely want to backup your device if you plan on continuing to use it afterwards.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.