Restore iPhone 4s to original factory settings

Yes. You open the app on your device called "Settings". Then you go on "General". All the way to the bottom, you'll see "Reset". And then you select "Erase all contents and settings". Your device will then go back to factory settings.

I appreciate the answer, but that isn't necessarily what I'm looking for. I want to restore the software operating system back to it's factory original. When you try to do that on ITunes, it says that it will restore your phone to the factory original operating system but will THEN update your phone to the latest software operating system, which is what's causing the problems to begin with. I've already thought about the solution you volunteered, but while it will erase the settings and the contents of the phone, but I don't believe it will allow me to restore the original operating system which is what I'm having difficulty with right now.

This is perplexed4s but I'm logging in from work and can't recover this ID, Perplexed4s, that I created.

If you've already updated the iOS, you won't be able to go backwards to an earlier version, if that is what you're asking.

The solution I offered you WILL put your phone back to factory reset and it WILL not update your device since it won't go through iTunes.

Unless what you're trying to do is to REPLACE the iOS software for a new one, that is something else.

Though, I can assure you that my method will work unless you have an Apple ID blocking your account and that you're unable to retrieve that password OR your device cannot connect to Wifi.

TO strengthen my point, this is taken from Apple Support webSite:

msultan22071 wrote:

I appreciate the answer, but that isn't necessarily what I'm looking for.

"but" nothing... You didn't ask the original question.

You are asking how to downgrade iOS. You can not do that.

While you are correct, I believe what the OP is looking for is to return the device to the operating system that came on it when it left the factory, not a factory setting of the latest iOS, hence the statement by AmishCake. I restore to factory will erase the device and restore it to factory condition of the latest iOS that is available for the device. For the iPhone 4s, the latest version is iOS 9.2.

I'm sorry but you're wrong; iTunes WILL update your device to the latest iOS when you reset it to factory as the message posted by the OP points out.

Actually I DID ask the original question which I explained in the posts above, but I can't log back into this site using the name I started this discussion with so I'm going with my normal sign-in name.

I'm trying to restore it to it's Original factory settings. If you try to do it through ITunes, it restores it to it's factory settings AND THEN updates it to the most up to date software which is the problem.

The current operating system on it now is the most up to date system and it's not working well with this phone at all which is why I'm trying to restore it to it's original operating system to begin with.

I know it was once possible with ITunes but that capability no longer seems to exist which is why I posed the question to the forum because I find it hard to believe I'm the only person to have ever had this problem. My apologies if I'm coming off harshly but I've been trying to help my girlfriend with this issue and it's been driving us both nuts.

PLEASE READ MY PREVIOUS POST CAREFULLY. I stated that by going through the DEVICE ONLY (NOT ITUNES) on my original post, it will not update the device since the only thing we want to do is to erase the entire contents of the phone. YES. I agree that if TC is passing through iTunes, it WILL update his device.

And Chris, TC didnt specify if he wanted to go back to the original version that he had when he got the phone. Therefore I assumed that he simply wanted to stay at his current version.

Cee,

Thank you for the response on this issue!

I'll let my girlfriend know and see what happens!

🙂

Downgrading of iOS has never been supported by Apple. You cannot downgrade the iOS, so you will need to troubleshoot the issues you seem to be having with iOS 9.2.

The OP stated they were having troubles with the current installed software, hence the desire to restore to factory. They were referring to factory as the originally installed iOS from what I can gather from their post. And who is TC?

I disagree when it comes to the "never" statement.

I have restored my phone to the factory original operating system years ago using ITunes..

I haven't had to do it recently, but regardless, it doesn't seem to have that capability anymore.

If my girlfriend can't do it, then she'll be forced to try and trouble shoot the issues, but she's already tried to do that and it didn't work out at all.

Cee,

MY girlfriend would like to go back to the operating system the phone was at when it came straight to the factory.

msultan22071 wrote:

I disagree when it comes to the "never" statement.

You are welcome to do that, however there is only a very small window in which you can use older OS, and it certainly isn't now. Despite that window, my statement about Apple not supporting downgrading is correct. They do not support it. You may have been successful in downgrading one version down in the past, but as I said, that window is only open for a very, very short period of time. Other than that, it does not exist, whatever you may think you remember.

msultan22071 wrote:

If my girlfriend can't do it, then she'll be forced to try and trouble shoot the issues, but she's already tried to do that and it didn't work out at all.

As I said, she will not be able to downgrade. If she would describe the issues she is experiencing and provide detailed reports of what troubleshooting she has tried, not "everything", then someone should be able to help.