We’ve learned a lot about the iPhone over the years, but it’s good to have a strong grasp on the basics. Here’s a simple guide on how to reset your iPhone.
Most cell phone carriers offer generous upgrade plans nowadays, making it easy to snag the latest iPhone without dropping tons of cash. The official upgrade process at the majority of retailers includes a factory reset step, ensuring all your data is wiped clean and preventing any subsequent users from accessing your files.
However, if you’re looking to sell your device on your own, you’ll need to know how to reset your iPhone and wipe it clean. It’s also good to know how the process works before heading to AT&T or Verizon for an upgrade — that way you can be certain your personal data is safely removed from your old phone. Thankfully, the process is similar across all modern iPhones, including the new iPhone 15. Here’s how to reset your iPhone and wipe its drive before giving it away.The difference between a soft reset, a force restart, and a factory reset
Restarting your iPhone using the software option — a soft reset — will not result in the loss of any data. The same is true of a force restart, which allows you to use the hardware keys to restart your iPhone when the touchscreen isn’t responsive or your apps start acting weird. A factory reset is a completely different beast. It reverts your iPhone to its original state when it first came out of the box: It wipes all content, settings, and personal information from the device.
We recommend factory resetting your iPhone only as a last resort if you’re having issues that you can’t solve, but it should also be used when you’re selling or trading in your iPhone, giving it to a friend, or if the phone has been lost or stolen. It’s not necessarily permanent, since you can use a backup to restore all your phone’s data and settings. If you need to perform a factory reset, read our guide on how to factory reset an iPhone, which also includes a breakdown of the reset options found in Settings > General > Reset.How to soft reset your iPhone 15 and other models
The easiest way to soft reset your iPhone is by turning it off. This method is often called a “soft reset” because, unlike a factory reset, you will not lose any data, and it will not delete anything from your phone. Consider a soft reset when your phone is running slowly, if an app won’t launch or work properly, or if you are experiencing a minor problem but your iPhone is still responsive.
