How To Reset An iPhone: Wiping It Completely And Securely

Quick and easy guide to securely erasing everything on your iPhone

Is your iPhone a bloated mess? Is there some technical problem that only a reset will solve? Or are you selling or loaning the device to someone else after several years of hard service? There are many reasons why you might want to reset your iPhone and wipe all (and we mean ALL) the data held within - fortunately we're here to help you do just that.

If you need to reset your device, follow these simple steps: 

Before we move forward – you should be aware that what you are about do will wipe everything from your device. So make sure you have plugged your iPhone 5 into iTunes and made a back-up, because you don’t want to end up losing something of value.

• Grab your iPhone 
• Hit ‘Settings’
• Tap ‘General’
• Right at the bottom of the screen you’ll find a tab labelled ‘Reset’ – hit it
• On the next screen you will see a list of things which you can reset – all of which are useful in sorting out potential problems, but we’re concentrating on the whole kit and caboodle today, so go ahead and tap ‘Erase All Content and Settings’
• You will be asked to confirm that you wish to continue, tap ‘Yes’
• Your iPhone will, after a short wait, be wiped clean, ready for you to start afresh