When you want to sell or donate your iPhone, deleting your data from it is recommended. This ensures that your personal information isn't compromised or misused.
Moreover, to prepare your device for a fresh start, you must delete your iPhone data, including photos, videos, messages, voicemails, etc. Also, when your iPhone is running low on storage space, try deleting unnecessary data from your iPhone.
This blog explains why you may need to delete data from your iPhone and various methods for doing so.
Why do I need to delete all data from my iPhone?
There are several reasons why you may want to delete your iPhone data:
- To free up storage space
- To remove personal data when planning to sell or give away an iPhone
- To improve the performance of your iPhone
- To start fresh by clearing up your device's data
Now, let's learn what type of data is stored on your iPhone before deleting them.
Type of data stored on your iPhone
Your iPhone stores a wide range of data that includes:
- Photos and Videos: This includes photos and videos captured using your iPhone camera, received through messaging apps, and downloaded or synced files from other devices.
- Data and Documents: Installed applications, such as games, social media, reading apps, etc., and their data.
- Voicemail: This includes voice messages you receive when your call is unanswered or declined.
- Text messages and iMessages include text messages, multimedia messages, iMessages, and attachments.
- Calendar and Notes: Your scheduled appointments, reminders, and events are stored in the Calendar app, as are any text, files, or images saved in the Notes app.
- Safari Data: It includes cache, cookies, browsing history, saved passwords, and autofill information.
- System Settings: Any settings you have configured on the device, such as Bluetooth connection, location settings, Wi-Fi settings, and accessibility settings.
- Accounts: Apple ID and other accounts logged in on the iPhone, such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc.
After understanding what data is stored on your iPhone, you can start deleting it one by one. However, creating an iPhone backup is advisable before deleting all iPhone data.
How do you delete all the data on your iPhone?
Follow the below methods to learn how to delete data from an iPhone:
Method 1: How to Delete Specific Data
1. Delete Photos and Videos from iPhone
The Photos app saves images and videos captured with the iPhone, those received on messaging apps, etc. You can use the Photos app to delete all the photos and videos from your iPhone. Here's how to delete photos from your iPhone:
- Open the Photos app.
- Tap select in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Lightly tap on the bottom photo or video, then slide it to the top of the screen without lifting your finger so that all images get selected.
- Tap the Trash bin icon in the bottom-right corner when selecting all the photos and videos.
- Tap Deleted X Photos to confirm your choice. The photos and videos will be deleted and moved to the Recently Deleted Folder.
Photos and videos deleted from the Photos app are moved to the Recently Deleted folder, where they stay for 30 days before being permanently deleted.
To permanently delete photos and videos from the Recently Deleted folder, follow these steps:
- Open the Photos app, scroll down, and tap on the Recently Deleted folder.
- To view this folder, enter the password or use your Face ID.
- Tap on the Select option at the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select the deleted photos and video you want to delete from your iPhone and tap Delete.
- Tap Delete from this iPhone to confirm your choice. This will permanently delete photos and videos from your iPhone.
Read More: How to Delete Photos from iPhone?
2. Delete Apps on iPhone
You can delete apps on your iPhone from the Home Screen, App Library, App Store account, and Settings itself.
How to delete apps on iPhone:
- On the Home Screen, touch and hold apps to open quick actions menus. Select Remove App.
- Now, tap on the Delete App option in the pop-up that appears.
- Tap Delete to confirm your choice.
You can do the steps mentioned above for each app to delete them from your iPhone.
Click here for other methods to delete apps on iPhone.
3. Delete Documents and Data
The 'Documents & Data' folder on your iPhone is the data an app stores every time it is opened or used. This includes cache, cookies, logs, database files, temporary files, and other information specific to the app.
How to delete documents and data on iPhone:
- Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
- Tap on any app to open it, you will see the space occupied by the app’s ‘Documents and Data’ on your iPhone.
- Please scroll down and tap Delete App to delete it. Next, confirm your choice by clicking Delete App.
Read More: How to Delete Documents and Data on iPhone?
4. Delete Voicemail from iPhone
Voicemail allows you to leave a recorded audio message to convey time-sensitive information when your call is unanswered or declined. Here's how to delete Voicemail from iPhone:
- Open the Phone app, go to Voicemail, and tap Edit at the top corner of the voicemail inbox.
- Select all the voicemails you want to delete.
- Next, tap Delete and confirm your choice by tapping the Delete button again.
Click here for other methods to delete Voicemail from your iPhone.
5. Delete messages and iMessage on iPhone
You can easily delete text messages, iMessage, and attachments your iPhone anytime. Here's how to delete messages on your iPhone:
- Open the Messages app, tap on the three dots at the top-right corner, and choose Select Messages.
- Select all the messages and tap Delete. Again, click Delete to confirm your choice.
6. Clear iPhone Browsing History on Safari
You can easily delete all your web browsing history from Safari by following the below steps:
- Open Settings, go to Safari, and tap Clear History and Website Data.
- Again, tap Clear History and Data to erase the browsing history of the iPhone.
Click here to learn how to clear your iPhone browsing history on Google Chrome and Firefox.
7. Delete Calendar and Notes on iPhone
To delete notes from the Notes app on iPhone, do this:
- Open the Notes app on your iPhone and tap on Notes.
- Then tap on the three dots at the top-right corner of the screen and choose the Select Notes option.
- Select the notes you wish to delete by tapping on them.
- Then tap on Delete, which is located at the bottom of the screen.
The deleted notes will be moved to the Recently Deleted folder, where they stay for 30 days before being permanently removed. Here's how to permanently delete notes on your iPhone:
- Open the Notes app and tap on the Recently Deleted Folder.
- Tap Edit in the top-right corner, select the notes, and tap Delete.
- Again, tap Delete X Notes to confirm your choice.
You can delete scheduled appointments, events, and reminders in the Calendar app. Here's how to delete an entire Calendar:
- In the Calendar app, tap Calendars at the bottom of the screen to display the calendars currently synced to the app.
- Look for the calendar you want to delete, and tap the info icon.
- Then scroll down and tap on the Delete Calendar button. Confirm your choice by clicking Delete Calendar.
8. Reset iPhone Settings to their default
You can return your iPhone Settings, including Network Settings, Location & Privacy, Keyboard Dictionary, and Home Screen Layout, to their default Settings:
Here's how to reset Network Settings on your iPhone:
- On iPhone, go to Settings and tap on General.
- Scroll down and click on Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Then tap Reset and choose Reset Network Settings.
- Enter your iPhone passcode to confirm the reset.
- Once the reset is done, try erasing your iPhone again.
Read More: Reset iPhone Settings to Default
Method 2: Factory Reset your iPhone to Delete All Content and Settings
If you want to give away or sell your iPhone, the 'Erase All Content and Settings’ option is the best way to erase all your data. Because simple deletion doesn't completely remove your data from the iPhone, making them recoverable with an advanced data recovery tool. Moreover, deleting different types of data from their particular apps on iPhone is time-consuming. Top of FormBottom of Form
Steps to Factory Reset iPhone:
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- Go to General and tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Click on the Erase All Content and Settings options.
- Click Continue and enter your iPhone passcode.
- Next, click Erase iPhone. This will fully wipe your device clean.
However, erasing iPhone data with ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ doesn't permanently delete it. This means all your iPhone data are still recoverable using advanced iPhone data recovery tools.
This is why using Stellar Eraser for iPhone is one of the safest ways to permanently delete data from an iPhone.
Method 3: Permanently Delete Data From iPhone Using the iPhone Erasure Tool
The Stellar iPhone Eraser tool erases all your iPhone data, including photos, videos, contacts, iMessage, browser search history, third-party app data, etc. This tool deletes your iPhone data by overwriting it multiple times, ensuring no information can be recovered using any data recovery solution.
Stellar Eraser for iPhone can erase data from all Apple iOS devices, including iPhones and iPads. It is compatible with the latest iPhones, including the 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, and below series, as well as all iPad versions, such as iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPad Mini, etc.
Steps: How to delete data from iPhone via Stellar Eraser for iPhone
- Download, install, and launch Stellar Eraser for iPhone on your Windows or Mac system.
- Now, click Next on the Erase iPhone Data screen.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer and click Erase to delete data from the selected device.
- Click Yes in the Confirm Erase dialog box to initiate the erasure process.
- You will see the progress of the erasure process and the time remaining in the Erasing iPhone Data screen.
- Once the process finishes, click OK in the Erasure Complete box.
Conclusion
Deleting iPhone data before selling or giving it away is good to protect your privacy and prevent unauthorized access to your data. However, deleting the photos, voicemails, Safari browsing history, messages, etc. from the respective apps doesn’t completely erase traces of your data from your iPhone.
Moreover, a factory reset deletes everything on an iPhone, but anyone can recover this data using an iPhone data recovery tool.
To ensure that your iPhone data is permanently deleted, use the iOS erasure tool designed specifically for securely wiping it.
Vishakha Singh is a Senior Writer at Stellar with half a decade of experience in writing content in diverse verticals. She loves creating photo/video recovery & repair tutorials. Vishakha also specializes in writing full-blown iPhone and Android guides.
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