With technology perpetually advancing, it’s becoming harder and harder to maintain privacy. That’s why it’s important for us know how to erase private data from our devices completely – so that this information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
There are many situations in which a full erase of your smartphone will be necessary. For one, you can get some of your money back by selling an old smartphone. But before you hand over your smartphone to a stranger, it’s imperative that the device no longer contains any private or personal information. You don’t want a complete stranger finding your bank details, or flicking through private photos of your children or grandchildren!
To permanently clear out all data on your smartphone, follow the steps below.
For iPhone users;
- Open up your iPhone to the menu screen
- Open “Settings”
- Scroll down until you see “iCloud” and select it.
- Scroll down to the very bottom, and select “Sign Out”.
- Go back to “Settings”.
- Scroll down until you find “General” and select it.
- Scroll down to the very bottom, and select “Reset”.
- Click “Erase All Content and Settings”.
- This will reset your iPhone, so that it will appear brand-new – as if you’d never even used it.
For Android users;
- Open up your smartphone and go to the Apps Menu.
- Find and select “Settings”.
- Select “Backup & reset”.
- Select “Factory data reset”.
- Select “Reset phone”.
- Enter your pattern, PIN, or password if prompted.
- Select “Erase everything”.
Remember, this erasure is permanent. This means that whatever data you have on your phone will no longer be accessible or recoverable after the reset unless you backed it up on a computer. This is useful if you wish to transfer all of your data to a new phone.
Had any trouble backing up and erasing your phone? Let us know below!
Image source Shutterstock.
We may get commissions for purchases made using links in this post. Learn more.
7:36 am
8:37 pm
2:07 pm
4:23 pm
11:39 am
9:57 pm
12:23 pm
3:07 am
10:23 pm
9:50 am
8:45 pm
2:22 pm
2:21 pm
1:54 pm
12:14 pm