The iPhone has inside the most stable mobile operating system that we can find, obviously we refer to iOS. However, nothing is made safe, and iOS was not going to be the exception. On more than one occasion we will see ourselves against the ropes because the operating system has suffered a critical error and we will have no choice but to restore the iPhone.
That is why today in iPhone News we want to solve all your doubts in a single stroke, we will teach you what are the different ways to format the iPhone And what kind of problems can you face? In this way you will always have your device ready to face its use.
First we will determine that the term "format" in the case of iOS has another meaning, since Apple has been good to use the term "restore" as a synonym for "format" or "delete the iPhone." It is because of that We recommend that you familiarize yourself with these terms and do not be surprised, because from now on we will use the word restore.
How to restore iPhone through PC with iTunes
We remind you that by restoring the iPhone we will be able to completely eliminate the data from our iPhone, so our photographs and our applications will not be saved, the device is going to be found as it is when we take it out of the boxTherefore, it is important that you have clear reasons why you are going to perform the restoration and that you take the appropriate precautions.
This is going to be the most common assumption. On occasion device performance has decreased or we are facing a recurring bug, that is why we decided to carry out a restoration of the device through iTunes This is undoubtedly the preferred option by the vast majority and the first one that we are going to teach you. Do not miss a single step of the procedure, because it is one of the easiest we will find.
The first thing to do is make sure you have iTunes installed and updated to the latest version, since iTunes usually has trouble restoring the device if it is not updated. Now We will use our Lightning – USB cable to connect the iPhone to our PC or Mac. Then, when we open iTunes, we will see the icon of our iPhone in the upper left corner, we will press in the event that the pop-up window has not skipped completely automatically.
Among all the information, in the upper right we will have the "Check for update" and "Restore iPhone …“, It is this second that interests us. It is important that we first make a backup, both by iCloud and by iTunes (at our choice) in case we lose information. To do this we will use the “Make copy now” buttons that we find just below the previous options. Once the backup is done we will go to Settings> iCloud> Search my iPhone to disable this option and proceed to click on “Restore iPhone”, at that time the download of the operating system will begin and our iPhone will be restored. When you have finished the entire procedure during which our iPhone it will restart several times, we will have the iPhone fully restored and without any data, such as when we take it out of the box.
Format iPhone without iTunes
Another option that we have available and that is perhaps less known is to restore the iPhone without connecting it to iTunes. The advantage that this option gives us is not only that we will not require the use of a PC / Mac, but in the case of wanting to restore an iPhone with a lower iOS version, iTunes will ask us for the update and we will have no choice but to do so. In the event that we restore the device without using iTunes, directly from the settings section, we will continue to maintain the same version of iTunes. However, the most purists of iOS always say that this type of restoration does not completely clean the memory of the device and can generate bugs, although it is not recurring or proven.
To erase all the information from the iPhone without using iTunes we just have to go to the application of Settings of our iPhone, once inside we will go to the section "General" and we will see that the option of "Restore" The last of the list is found. Within it we will find the different options to delete the iPhone data that we will explain:
- Hola: It only clears the device settings, such as screen preferences and everything that has to do with the user interface.
- Delete content and settings: It will erase all iPhone data, in this case it is the correct term to “format it”
- Reset network settings: You will forget and completely eliminate all our WiFi and Bluetooth networks, remember that it can affect the passwords stored in iCloud Keychain.
- Reset keyboard dictionary.
- Reset home screen.
- Reset location and privacy.
My iPhone only shows the Apple logo on the screen
This is one of the most common problems we find in iOS devices that have suffered a critical problem with the operating system. In this case we will not have more options than formatting the device through iTunes. The steps that we are going to have to perform are exactly the same, however, we are going to have to place the iOS device in what is known as “DFU mode”To be able to access it from iTunes and proceed to the restoration, since when the iPhone only shows the Apple of the Apple on the screen it is because it is in a loop of reboots and we will not be able to format.
To put the iPhone in DFU Mode we will connect the iPhone to the PC / Mac through USB-Lightning and we will press the Home button at the same time that we press the Power button (Volume – and Power in the case of the iPhone 7), for 5 seconds we will keep both pressed, then continue to press and hold only the Home or Volume – button. At that time, if we have done it correctly, the iTunes logo will appear asking us to plug the iPhone into the PC or Mac by opening iTunes. Don't despair if you don't get it at first, it is not as easy to perform well as it seems and it may take more than one attempt.
Once iTunes detects our iPhone in DFU mode, a pop-up screen will appear that will ask us to choose between updating and restoring the iPhone, obviously we will choose the restoration to reinstall the operating system. Lunfortunately once in DFU mode the iPhone we will not be able to make backup copies, so we will have to say goodbye to all our data, but it is the only method for us to recover our iPhone again.
iTunes download iOS very slow, where can I download iOS?
On more than one occasion Apple's servers for iTunes and for iOS are not exactly for rocket shooting, so iTunes can download the iOS version for your iPhone very slowly. If you don't really want to wait, we recommend that you go directly with the correct .IPSW for your device and install it directly on your iPhone. This procedure will be the same as before and will require both iTunes and a PC / Mac. First of all what we have to do is download the corresponding iOS version with our mobile device, for this we will recommend THIS WEB in which you can download the version of iOS you need without too much trouble. But we remind you that Apple only allows you to install on the iPhone the latest version of the operating system available, the ones that are signed, if you install an old version of iOS the server will not verify the device and you will not be able to make it work.
Once we have the downloaded file we will go to iTunes with the iPhone connected through the cable, then we will click on "Restore iPhone …" while holding down the "Shift" key in Windows or "alt" in the case of macOS. If we do so, we can see how the file explorer will open and we can easily select the .IPSW corresponding to our iPhone. Once selected you will see that the restoration procedure will begin with the progress bar, do not despair, since it usually takes a while.
I found an iPhone, can I format it?
The reality is that yes, you can use any of these methods that we have taught you and format it, however, from iOS 7 all iOS devices are linked to each user's Apple ID, therefore, once the device is foraged when you start the configuration procedure you will be asked for the password of the Apple ID to which it is linked, so The most logical measure would be to ask Siri "whose iPhone is this?" to provide you with the contact details and return it to its rightful owner, since you can never use it.
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