Security and Privacy: How to Securely Wipe Your iPhone

If you plan to sell, donate, or trade your iPhone, it’s crucial to ensure all your personal data is erased correctly and securely. Simply deleting files or apps isn’t enough — a proper factory reset is necessary to maintain your privacy and security.

Here’s how to erase all data from your iPhone safely and with peace of mind.

Why Is It Important to Erase Your Data Properly?

When handing over or selling an iPhone without properly wiping its data, you risk giving access to:

• Personal accounts (iCloud, email, social media)

• Private photos and videos

• Messages and call history

• Banking information and saved passwords

To prevent this, follow the correct steps for secure formatting.

Step-by-Step: How to Securely Erase All iPhone Data

1. Back Up Your Data
Before anything else, back up your data to restore it later:

Go to Settings > [Your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup
Tap Back Up Now

Or connect the iPhone to a computer and use Finder (macOS) or iTunes (Windows) to create a local backup.

2. Turn Off “Find My iPhone”
This is crucial to avoid activation lock after formatting:

Go to Settings > [Your name] > Find My > Find My iPhone
Toggle it off
Enter your Apple ID password to confirm

3. Restore the iPhone to Factory Settings
Once your backup is done and Find My iPhone is disabled:

Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone
Tap Erase All Content and Settings
Confirm with your passcode and tap Erase iPhone

The device will be completely wiped and restarted as new.

4. Remove the Device from Your iCloud Account (Optional)
If you’ve already erased the iPhone but it's still linked to your account:

Go to iCloud.com
Click on Find iPhone > All Devices
Select your iPhone and click Remove from Account

Conclusion

Properly wiping your iPhone is a key step to protect your security and privacy, especially when selling, donating, or trading it. Following the complete procedure ensures your data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands and that the new user receives a device ready for setup.

Always follow these steps whenever you're getting rid of a device.

Image credit to apple