Apple makes it super easy to both backup your phone and factory reset it. However, it’s not as easy if the phone you have doesn’t belong to you. That’s because Apple (and Google) have made it more difficult for a thief to steal a phone and then reset it and use it as their own.
Today, we’re going to go over how to backup your iPhone or iPad, as well as how to factory reset it. Backing it up is pretty simple, and iCloud should do it by default. However, if you did turn off iCloud Backup so that you could save some storage on your iCloud account, it might need to be turned back on. iCloud Backups are super simple and actually do back up everything. Including your logins for apps. So you won’t need to re-login to everything once you set your phone up again. That’s definitely a good thing.
There’s also a number of reasons why you might want to factory reset your iPhone or iPad. Maybe you want to sell it, or give it to a family member, or you’re having some issues. A factory reset can fix all of that, thankfully. And it’s pretty easy to do.
How to backup your iPhone and iPad
It’s always a good idea to backup your iPhone and/or iPad. This is because you could start having issues with your phone and the best way to fix it sometimes is, a factory reset. And if you have a backup, then you won’t have to start over from scratch. Which sounds like a really good idea.
So to do this, you’ll need to make sure you have enough space in your iCloud account. Now if you are backing up to move to another iPhone or iPad, Apple does expand your iCloud storage temporarily. So your backup has enough space.
- Make sure your device is connected to WiFi. If your device is low on battery, then you will need to plug it in.
- Next, head into the Settings app.
- From there, tap on the Apple ID banner at the top of the app.
- Next, tap on iCloud.
- Scroll down to iCloud Backup and tap on that.
- Next, tap on the switch to turn it on (though it should be on by default).
- Finally, choose Back Up Now.
With iCloud Backup on, it will automatically backup every night while it is charging. But if you need to backup right now, you can repeat the steps above to backup.
Depending on how much data is on your iPhone or iPad, this could take a few minutes to backup. But it will show you the progress, while you’re backing up. And that’s it.
How to factory reset your iPhone and iPad
If you’re having issues with your iPhone or iPad, or just want to start over, a factory reset could be needed. Thankfully, Apple does make it pretty simple to do this. Here’s how:
- Open the Settings app.
- Now tap on General.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Next, you’re going to want to tap on Erase All Content and Settings.
- Then tap on Continue.
- If you have a passcode on your device, you’ll be asked to enter it.
- It’ll then initiate an iCloud Backup, which if you’ve backed up recently, this shouldn’t take long.
- Next you’ll be asked to enter your Apple ID password to turn off Activation Lock and remove the device from Find my iPhone – this is really important if you are selling the device or giving it to someone else. With Find My turned on, no one else can set up this iPhone on their account.
- Now, your iPhone or iPad will start to do the reset process. It might take a few moments before it actually starts erasing.
- Once it’s finished, it’ll reboot to the Hello screen. And you can set it up as new.
And that’s it. That is how you can backup and/or factory reset your iPhone or iPad.