What Do You Lose With an iPhone Restore?
- When you want to restore your iPhone, you need to plug it into your computer and sync it with iTunes. Once you link it to your iTunes account, you can click on the iPhone button on the side of the screen. Then you'll see an option that allows you to restore the iPhone. At that point, you can usually choose between a few different options. You can restore the iPhone to factory settings or you can restore it to the last backup you performed. To prevent permanent loss of data, perform a complete sync before doing any restore option.
- When you choose the restore to factory settings option, your phone will essentially be wiped clean. This is like starting over from scratch and you will lose any information that you have saved on the phone. For example, it will erase any pictures, contact information and notes that you have on the phone. It will also erase any of the apps that are on your phone as well. Once you reset to factory settings, you can always restore the phone from your previous backup to get your information back.
- When you choose the option to restore from a backup, all of the information that was accumulated since the last time you backed up will be deleted. For example, if you downloaded more applications since the last time you backed up your phone, these applications will be deleted. This will sometimes help you get your phone back to working condition after it stops working as normal. If you added anything important to the phone since the last backup, you could risk losing it.
- If you're considering erasing the information off of your iPhone and selling it, be aware that you can't fully get rid of the information on your phone. Although you may delete the information and restore it back to factory settings, it's still residing on the iPhone somewhere. With the right tools, someone could get into the iPhone and find your information. This makes it possible for someone else to get your emails, contact information and other important data. If you use the remote wipe feature on your iPhone, it can erase your personal information. However, advanced tools could still recover some of your personal information even after the wipe.
