What must you do before you switch your iPhone? (Backup and erase)

Thinking about switching your iPhone?

There are a lot of reasons to do that. You might be thinking to sell your iPhone. Or you could be donating your iOS device.

Or else, you are switching your iPhone with a friend or a family member. Whatever the reason, you should do something important prior to the switch. To make sure that your personal data are safe and secure.

So, what should you do?

Actually, you could do two things. First, you should take a backup of your iPhone data. And then you should erase all of the data from your iPhone completely. This way, your data, and files will be safe. And also if you need them anytime, you can restore them from the backup.

You might be thinking how to do these things easily. Don’t worry at all. As we are going to share a number of methods to backup and erase your iPhone data in this article.

So, without further ado, let’s dive in.

Using a third-party app:

The easiest way to take backup and erase iPhone data is to use any third-party software. And, we have tried a lot them. As a result, we have found that a software named ‘dr.fone – Backup & Restore (iOS)’ works best for this operation.

So let’s start with that.

How to backup your data from your iPhone via ‘dr.fone – Backup & Restore (iOS)’:

Make sure that you have downloaded the latest version of this software. And, install it on your PC/Mac. Then-

• Launch the ‘dr.fone – Backup & Restore (iOS)’ on your PC
• From the options, you should click on ‘Backup & Restore’ on the software screen

• Now connect your iPhone to your PC/MAC via the lightning cable

• When the device is connected and recognized by the software. Click on ‘Backup’ button on the software screen

• On the next page, you will be able to select the files you want to take backup of
• If you want to backup everything then check-mark on ‘Select All’

• But if you want to backup files selectively then you can do that too. To do that check-mark the files you want to backup

• After that, you can select the folder where you want to store the backup data. To do that click on ‘Backup Path’ on the bottom-left corner of the screen. And browse to your preferred folder and select that one

• Now, check every setting carefully. If everything is OK. Click on ‘Backup’ button form the bottom-right corner of the screen. And the backup process will start instantly

• The duration of the backup process will depend on the size of the files you’re backing up. So, wait until the backup is completed. Do not disconnect your iPhone during this time
• After the backup is completed. A new page will appear with all of the details about the files you just took backup on the software interface

By this time, you have taken a backup of your iPhone data. Now, you need to erase the existing data from your iPhone. To know how to do that, let’s continue.

How to erase your iPhone with ‘dr.fone – Backup & Restore (iOS)’:

Note: This method will delete everything from your iPhone forever. So, if you have not taken a backup already. Take a backup immediately before advancing to the next method

• Launch the ‘dr.fone – Backup & Restore (iOS)’ software on your PC
• Now click on the option named ‘Erase’ on the software

• At this point, connect your iPhone to your PC/MAC via lightning connector/USB cable

• After the software recognized your iPhone, you will be shown 5 options
• As we are going to erase everything from the iPhone, click on ‘Erase All Data’

• On the next window, click on ‘Erase’ to proceed

• Now, a popup window will appear with some warnings. So, if you are sure that you are going to delete everything from your iPhone, type ‘delete’ on the blank box

• And click on ‘Erase Now’ to start the process

• Remember, your phone will restart several times during the process. So, don’t disconnect until the erasing process is finished completely. Also, if you have pin/password/pattern lock on your phone you have to provide it to unlock the phone during this process

• When the process is successfully finished. You will see a new page with an ‘Erase Completed’ message

Congratulations, you have just learned the method of erasing and backing up your iPhone data with the help of ‘dr.fone – Backup & Restore (iOS)’ software. Still, if you want to learn a little bit more you can try the methods below.

How to backup your iPhone manually:

It is very easy to take backup of your iPhone data in this process. If you have already had an iCloud account it will take just a few minutes to perform. Yet, this method has some disadvantages. You can only take backup of 5 GB data for free. After this, you have to pay for storing your data in the iCloud.

Moreover, it is not possible to use this method; if you don’t have iOS 5 or the later version on your device.

Even then, let’s learn the process step by step.

• First, connect your iPhone to your Wi-Fi network. Or, you could also use mobile data for this. But, we strictly discourage you from doing it
• Now, navigate to ‘Settings’ on your iPhone

For iOS 10.2 & earlier versions:

• Scroll down to find ‘iCloud’ option and tap on it

If you are using iOS 10.3 or any later version:

• Then go to ‘Settings’ and (Your Name/Apple ID)
• And, from there select the ‘iCloud’ option

• Now tap on the option ‘iCloud backup’ the knob will turn into green color (which means the backup is turned on)

• And, finally, tap on ‘Back Up Now’ and the backup will be started instantly

• Wait for the whole process to be completed. The duration will depend on your internet speed/size of the backup files

As we have just shared, the manual process of taking backup from your iPhone using the iCloud account. Now, we are going to share the process of erasing your iPhone’s data manually.

How to erase data completely from your iPhone manually:

With this process, you can easily erase data from your iPhone. However, it is possible to restore some of the data with any high-quality data recovery software. So, we recommend avoiding this method. As you are switching your phone with someone. They might use good data recovery software to restore your personal data.

If you want to erase everything forever, then ‘dr.fone – Backup & Restore (iOS)’ is your best friend. Cause, that software can delete data forever. Even any good data recovery software won’t be able to restore the data.

Still, it is better to learn another method.

Note: This system will delete everything from your iPhone. So, please take a backup before continuing

• From your iPhone navigate to ‘Settings’
• Then tap on the option ‘General’

• After that select ‘Reset’. You will find 6 different reset options
• As you will delete everything, tap on ‘Erase All Content and Settings’

• Finally, tap on the red colored option ‘Erase iPhone’

• You will be asked to enter your passcode or Apple ID password to confirm the process
• Wait for the process to be completed, it will take some time

To sum it up:

If you have read to this point, then you already know how to take backup and also erase the data from your iPhone completely.

We have tried to compile a list of all the best and easiest methods to do this. We hope that this article will help you before switching your iPhone.