Before now, if you wanted to reset your iPhone, you had to go through a very long and quite complicated process. Maybe you forget your password, your iPhone gets tampered with, whatever the case might be you could only reset your iPhone by connecting it to a computer or an existing iTunes account.
The former process was quite technical, and most people paid a lot just to reset their iPhones or erase their iPhone memory. It was almost a nightmare to certain people if for any reason their iPhones got blocked, or they forgot their password. Let us now take a run down of what was involved in resetting an iPhone previous, we will look at the challenges and finally a how-to on the new and improved method of resetting an iPhone.
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The Old Way To Reset Your iPhone – With iTunes And A Computer Connection
The previous method of restoring an iPhone that we stated to be “quite technical” required the iPhone to be connected to a computer or be restored using an iTunes account. Firstly, let us look into what was involved in the process involving an iTunes account.
With the iTunes process, you must have a MAC or PC (which must be running Windows 8 or above). The following steps were to be taken.
- Turn off your iPhone.
- Next, put your iPhone in recovery mode. To do this, press and hold the recovery button on your iPhone while it is connected to the MAC or PC; recovery buttons are different on various iPhone models, iPhone 8 and above uses the power button, iPhone 7 use the volume down button and iPhone 6 uses the home button).
- Hold down the recovery button until you see the recovery mode pop up on your iPhone screen.
- Locate your iPhone on iTunes in the MAC or PC it is connected to.
- When you find your iPhone, click on the restore button and wait for the software download process to finish.
- Lastly, disconnect your iPhone when the restore is completed.
The major issues with this reset method were that first you must have a MAC or PC (you must have a computer) handy before you can start the process. This caused a lot of people who do not have a computer to visit technical support stores and pay to get their iPhone restored or unlocked. Another issue was that this process at times took a long time (10-15 minutes) in some cases. This called for a refined approach to how you can restore your iPhone, and Apple took a better turn with the iOS 15.2 update.
The New Way To Reset Your iPhone Without A Computer Connection
It is high time we wave goodbye the quite rigorous process of resetting our iPhones with iTunes and a computer connection, iOS 15.2 brought the answer we have all been seeking for. Not only is this new method less stressful it is even more secure as nobody will have the ability to erase data on your iPhone except you, this new method is available via your Apple ID. What do you need to reset your iPhone now? Let us find out:
- Ensure your iPhone is running iOS 15.2, this method will not be available for iPhones running any version lower than iOS 15.2.
- With the new operating system up and running, and you have forgotten your password for any reason, you will see an Erase Device option on the screen.
- Tap the Erase Device option twice to erase your device.
- Now enter your Apple ID password to sign out of your locked iPhone, then tap erase device permanently.
- Your device will restart, and you will be required to follow a few instructions to set up the device.
In just a few easy steps, you will have accomplished what was once a long and stress filled process. Well, you might be wondering what will happen to your data stored on your iPhone after the reset. All data will be lost, so to be on the safe side, always back up your important data to your iCloud service.
Remember that this new method requires your Apple iPhone to be running iOS 15.2 and newer. That means, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
iOS 15.2 is also compatible with the following older models: iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE 2, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
If you use any of these eligible older models, you need to update it, after which you can use the new method to reset it without the need for a PC.