Restore iPhone or iPad

It sometimes happens that smartphones or tablets freeze or suddenly fail. That’s annoying, especially if it happens often. Refreshing the phone is sometimes the answer. This way you can reset the device to factory settings. The phone or tablet is then empty and bare. Just like when it first came out of the box. It is a major decision as you will erase all your settings and data on the device. By that we mean all data: photos, documents, favorites, up to and including installed apps. An act that not everyone just wants to do.

Not ready for this step but still want to troubleshoot your device? Then you can also first only reset the settings to the default values. In this way, you will reset the settings such as wallpaper, network settings, and privacy settings, but the contents on the device will remain untouched. Sometimes this already solves the problem.

To reset settings to defaults without erasing data, follow these steps:

• Tap on Institutions.
• Tap on General.
• In iOS15/iPadOS15, tap Transfer or reset iPhone/iPad.
• Tap on Reset.
• Tap on Reset all settings.
• Enter the access code if necessary.
• Tap . to confirm recovery > recovery.

To factory reset the device and erase all data on the iPad or iPhone:

• Tap on Institutions.
• Tap on General.
• In iOS 15/iPadOS15, tap Transfer or reset iPhone/iPad. In iOS 14/iPadOS 14, tap Reset.
• Tap on Clear all content and settings.
• In the ‘Erase this iPad’ window, tap Continue. If this window does not appear, tap Delete now or choose Back up and delete if you want to store the contents of the device in iCloud.
• Enter your access code.
• To turn off Find My and the Activation Lock (passcode), now type your Apple ID password, then tap in the top right Turn off.
• Tap on Erase iPhone or Erase iPad.
• The Apple logo will appear and the device will be emptied. It is also possible that you first press Erase iPhone or Erase iPad must tap.
  • Optionally, enter your Apple ID password and tap Erase.