iPhone Reset: Ultimate Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

Introduction

We’ve all been there—your iPhone starts acting up, freezing, or just not running as smoothly as it used to. Maybe your apps won’t open, or your phone’s performance is lagging. Frustrating, right? Well, That’s where resetting your iPhone can feel like a lifesaver! Whether you’re dealing with minor hiccups or you’re ready to wipe your device clean before selling it, understanding the right way to reset your iPhone can save you a lot of time and headaches.

But don’t worry—resetting doesn’t have to be intimidating! In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about soft resets, hard resets, and full-on factory resets. Think of it like hitting the refresh button, getting your iPhone back to its prime. No matter your tech skill level, we’ll make sure you feel assured every step of the way. So grab your phone and let’s get it back to feeling brand new again!

Understanding Different Types of iPhone Resets

Not all resets are created equal! Depending on what’s the problem with your iPhone, you might need a different type of reset to get things back on track. Let’s break down the three main types: soft reset, hard reset, and factory reset—each has its Pros and Cons.

• Hard Reset

A hard reset (or force restart) is for when your iPhone decides to throw a full-on tantrum. It’s unresponsive and nothing seems to work. A hard reset forces your iPhone to restart without deleting anything, which is perfect for fixing more serious freezing issues.

• Factory Reset

Finally, there’s the factory reset, the big one. This wipes everything—apps, photos, settings, all gone. It’s usually done when you’re selling your iPhone or trying everything else, and nothing’s working. Just make sure to back up your data before going this route!

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Hard Reset Your iPhone

So you have figured out that your iPhone needs a little (Hard) reset cause of the lag, bugs, glitches, and because the speed has slowed down, but you are confused about how to do that. Well, let’s dig into it. A soft & hard reset is a reset that takes no time and is super easy to do, also it won’t harm your data. So let’s dive in.

For iPhones iPhone X and Later:

All you need to do is just press and hold your volume up, volume down, and side power button for a moment until you see the Apple logo, after the logo appears on your screen, release it. That’s how you can do your iPhone Hard reset whenever you face any difficulties with touch problems, app bugs, the camera not working, etc.

For iPhone 7 and 7 Plus:

To hard reset your iPhone 7, you need to press and hold the volume down and your power button for a moment until the magic happens. Hold them until you see the Apple logo showing up on your screen. And boom, your iPhone is now soft resetting.

For iPhone 6s and earlier:

To do a Hard reset on an iPhone 6 or earlier, you have to press your home button and power button at the same time until your screen restarts and the Apple logo pops up on your screen, and then release it, it will soft reset your iPhone.

A Hard reset is an easy and quick pain relief for your iPhone that can fix those minor glitches and make your iPhone fresh again without data loss. It’s easy to do and makes your iPhone apps run as smoothly as silk again.

Factory Reset: Complete Guide

A factory reset can be initiated for different purposes, if your iPhone has just lost it, you wanna start all over again and make it look as fresh as new, and if you wanna sell your iPhone and want to do it clean, you can do a factory reset, it will clear all your data, contacts, photos, etc. and wipe everything on your iPhone. Let’s take a look at the few steps compulsory for iPhone factory reset execution.

• Backup Your iPhone:

You will have to backup your iPhone so when you switch your device your data will come back as it is. To back up your iPhone just go to settings and then account settings. After that, you’ll see iCloud backups, tap on that and tap back up now.

• Signing Out of iCloud:

After Backup, if you are just resetting your iPhone for your own, then there is no need to sign out but if you’re selling your phone then you have to sign out of your iCloud account, so the next owner won’t have any trouble in activation. To do that, go to Settings of your phone, go to your account settings, and below the sign-out option, tap on it, and after that, add your iCloud ID and Password, you will be signed out.

•  Initiating the factory reset:

To execute a factory reset, go to the settings of your iPhone and then go to General and swipe below, you will see the transfer and reset option, tap on it and a warning message will pop up that this will erase everything, tap sure and enter the passcode. This will start the reset process.

Related Article: Find My iPhone and Android – Comprehensive Guide

What Happens After a Factory Reset?

So, Now you have performed a factory reset on your iPhone. What’s next? Once the reset process is complete, your iPhone will restart and the greeting message “Hello” will appear as you see when you unbox your phone. That is because your iPhone is as clean as new with no settings and data in it. But don’t worry if you’ve backed up your phone. You don’t have to do much to get your data back, let’s see how.

Fresh Start or Restore?

After resetting, You have 2 options, you can set your iPhone again as it is new, second is that you can restore your backup from iCloud. If you’re setting it up for your own use, you might want to get back all your data by restoring the backup you have made before resetting your iPhone. But if you’re giving it to someone else, they’ll set it up as a brand-new device and they have no access to your data.

Reinstalling Apps and Data:

So you’ve chosen to backup from your iCloud, then it will be a piece of cake to restore it. Just sign in with your Apple ID during setup. iPhone will give you the option to choose between iCloud or local backup. Choose the option you want, and all your settings, contacts and apps will be restored in a while. It can take some time depending on which option you choose during setup, if you are restoring from iCloud then it may take some time, so sit tight and let the magic happen.

Security Concerns to Remember:

reset means your security settings are reset too. This means your face ID, passcode, and touch id’s are removed. So now you have to set them up again because they are the most important thing for your security and privacy. If you use “Find My iPhone”, then you have to reactivate it too.

Common Errors and Fixes After Reset:

Resetting your iPhone is a very easy and common process but things can be tough sometimes and don’t go as planned. Your iPhone can stuck in a loop and maybe it won’t reset at all, or if you’re encountering any issues, don’t panic, because I’m here to help you resolve these issues, let’s talk about the most common issues users get while resetting their phone and how to solve them.

iPhone Stuck on Logo during Reset:

During reset, the most common issue that users get to see is that their iPhone gets stuck on the Apple logo during the reboot. This usually happens due to some sort of glitch and if the reset process is interrupted.

• How to fix it: usually this issue can be resolved by hard resetting your iPhone as we talk earlier above, just follow the steps mentioned earlier and your phone will start again. If this does not work then you might need to put your iPhone into recovery mode and restore it using iTunes (PC) and Finder (MacOS).

iPhone is Unresponsive After Reset:

In some cases, your iPhone might be unresponsive after a factory reset, or it won’t turn back on. This can be overwhelming but usually, it’s just a glitch that goes away on its own.

• How to Fix it: try to perform a hard reset on your iPhone by following the steps we talk earlier, if this doesn’t work, then you may need to connect your iPhone to your Computer and perform a DFM (Device Firmware Update) mode restore. It can resolve your issue.

Backup won’t Restore after Reset:

After the reset has completed, you restore your iPhone, but sometimes you face problems restoring it with a backup which can be frustrating, but let’s fix it.

• How to Fix it: Before restoring the backup, make sure you have a faster internet connection to restore the backup. Make sure that you are using the same Apple ID which is linked to the same iCloud in which you have saved the backup. If you are using pc or Mac, make sure that iTunes and Finder are up to date and check if you have enough space for restoration. 

Asking For Activation Lock After Reset:

If you reset your iPhone and after completing the reset it asks for the previous Apple ID that was linked to it, then this can be a tough situation sometimes, and almost impossible if you don’t have that information.

• How to Fix it: in case it happens and the iPhone was linked to your Apple ID, simply link your ID again. If you bought it second hand then you need to contact the previous owner to remove the device from their iCloud account. If you can’t contact them, you need to provide them the proof of your purchase to Apple support to unlock your device.

Conclusion:

And there you have it—you’re now a certified iPhone reset expert! Whether it’s a hard reset to get things moving again, or a full-blown factory reset to wipe everything clean, you’ve got all the tools to handle any situation your iPhone throws at you. From restoring frozen screens to prepping your device for its next owner, resetting isn’t as scary as it sounds, right?

Just remember, always back up your data, and follow the steps carefully. Now that you know what to do, your iPhone’s performance issues don’t stand a chance. If you ever run into a problem during the reset process, you’ve got the troubleshooting tricks to fix it.

So go ahead—give your iPhone that fresh start, knowing you’ve got everything you need to tackle any reset like a pro! If you ever get stuck, you’ve got this guide to fall back on. High-five to keeping your iPhone running smoothly!