Restart, recovery, backup, and transfer
Preparing an iPhone to sell or trade in
Most people call this getting a phone ready to hand over.
Back up, sign out of your Apple Account, unpair anything connected, remove the SIM or eSIM, then erase the phone completely.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 15 and later
- Settings
- General
- Transfer or Reset iPhone
- Erase All Content and Settings
What it does
Signing out clears Activation Lock, which is the step people forget. Unpairing an Apple Watch preserves its own data. Removing an eSIM may need a carrier step.
What changes
When it is on
Not applicable. This is a process.
When it is off
Not applicable.
Should you turn it on?
Battery
No real change
Privacy
Helps
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: Not applicable.
Can cause real problems
Questions people actually ask
- What do I do before selling my iPhone?
- Back up, unpair your Watch, sign out of your Apple Account, remove the SIM, then Erase All Content and Settings.
If it is not working
- Erase All Content and Settings handles signing out for you, if you follow the prompts.
- Unpair an Apple Watch before erasing the phone.
- Confirm the backup finished before you erase anything.