HT201274: Erase all content and settings on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch
Learn about Erase all content and settings on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch
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Helpful answers
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Jan 9, 2013 6:41 AM in response to Robb138by needleman_mark,i believe (and i could be wrong) Erase all Contents and Settings erases everything on the phone so there is basically nothing left on it
Restting to Factory Settings - resets all settings back to their original state and estores the phone to just have the apps that come preinstalled
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Jan 9, 2013 6:47 AM in response to Robb138by Michael Black,Yes,both methods effectively remove all content and put the device back into the new, out of the box state. However, a restore will also update to the latest iOS available for the particular device.
P.S. The erase all content feature does NOT delete any of the default iOS apps - those cannot be removed. Both methods render the device back to the out of the box state, ready to start the setup process again.
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Jan 9, 2013 6:46 AM in response to Robb138by roaminggnome,They are both basically the same thing.
Erase all Content and Settings is a more secure erase. May be preferrable if you are selling your iphone. Otherwise, restore is very effective
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Jan 9, 2013 6:55 AM in response to Michael Blackby needleman_mark,you could be right but it ddi erase all the preinstalled apps awhile back - i know since i used it before selling an iPhone 3G and found out there was no way i could show the buyer the phone was working dince there was nothing on it - but maybe Apple changed this
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Jan 9, 2013 6:58 AM in response to needleman_markby roaminggnome,There has never been a way to erase the OS. It always has an OS when it is done.
If you erased the operating system, then you did something wrong.
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Apr 5, 2014 2:05 PM in response to Robb138by Amberlynn12,★HelpfulI realize this is a very old thread, but thought I should clarify for those who may still be following this or using the instructions.
Erase All Content & Settings is NOT the same as doing a restore through iTunes. roaminggnomestated erase all content and settings is a more secure erase. There really isn't a more secure option. They both erase all user data, and both allow you to restore from a backup once they are finished. Erase all content and settings just erases the data from the iOS device. It does not remove the OS or perform a fresh install. If there are software issues, they could still exist after doing an erase all content and settings
iTunes restore completely erases the device. It removes all user data and removes the OS from the device. It does not leave the device completely empty, however, as it downloads a fresh version of the OS and installs it on the device in the process. This is the real way to solve software problems. If, after a restore and setting the device up as new, the problem still exists, that is an indicator that there is a hardware problem and the device should probably be repaired.