Restore iPhone without iTunes
Let's start with the simplest procedure, the one for restore iPhone directly from iOS, without going through iTunes or your computer. As already mentioned above, thanks to this function you can restore your "iPhone by" to the factory state without updating the version of iOS installed on it and, therefore, without waiting for long downloads.
Before getting to work, however, I recommend that you go to the iPhone settings and make a backup all your data to iCloud. To be sure, the backup functions should already be on by default, but better check.
He then clicks on the icon of ifttings located on the home screen (the gear), tap on you don't know, choose the icon of iCloud from the menu that opens and move to the section dedicated to andCloud Backup.
At this point, make sure the option andCloud Backup is active (otherwise activate it you) and presses the button Back up now, to start backing up your iPhone to iCloud. This could take several minutes, so I recommend plugging your iPhone into a power source and connecting to the Internet via Wi-Fi, this way you'll avoid wasting battery and data traffic.
As for multimedia elements, such as photos and music, you can save them on iCloud and synchronize them on all your iDevices using services as iCloud Photo Library and andCloud Music Library (even better if associated with Apple Music): these are two paid services, or rather, the iCloud Photo Library is free but requires a paid plan for iCloud. You decide if you should subscribe or if you prefer to transfer the multimedia contents of your iPhone to your computer, the "old" way.
If you want to know more about iCloud Photo Library, read my tutorial on how to store photos on iCloud. If, on the other hand, you want a hand in transferring photos from iPhone to PC, consult the guide I dedicated to the topic. As for music, I recommend you to read my posts on how Apple Music works and how to download music from iPhone in which I told you about Apple Music and other services that allow you to download and sync music via Apple's smartphone.
Once all the backup operations have been completed, you can proceed to restore your iPhone. Go, therefore, to the settings iOS (by pressing ongear icon present on the home screen) and select the items General> Reset from the screen that opens.
At this point, select the option andnitialize content and settings, type el unlock code of your iPhone and start restoring the phone by pressing the button andnitialize iPhone which appears below.
If there are any feles that haven't been uploaded to iCloud yet, you well be asked if you want to wait for the completion of the upload or if you want initialize now the device: I advise you to choose the first option, if you do not want to lose any data.
Your "iPhone by" well restart and, within a few minutes, well be restored to factory status. When it is restarted, you well be offered the initial iOS configuration procedure, through which you can decide whether to configure the smartphone as a new iPhone or to restore a previous backup from iCloud.
Restore iPhone from computer
Now let's move on to the procedure for restore iPhone from computer, then via iTunes su Windows or via the default application Finder on macOS 10.15 Catalina or later (on newer versions of macOS, iTunes has been removed).
If you use a computer equipped with Windows and you have not yet installed iTunes, fix it immediately by downloading the software from the Microsoft Store of Windows 10. Alternatively, if you are using an older version of the Microsoft operating system, you can get the classic iTunes installation package from the Apple website . For more information, read my guide on how to install iTunes for free.
Now, for restore iPhone, you need to connect the phone to the computer via USB cable and make a full backup of the data, apps and settings on your device. If this is the first time you connect your computer and iPhone, authorize the communication between the two devices by pressing the appropriate buttons that appear on the two devices and enter the unlock code on the "iPhone by".
Subsequently, if you use iTunes, click on theiPhone which appears at the top left and makes a backup of the data on the "iPhone by". To copy all songs, apps, and other media purchased on iPhone to your computer, select the option Transfer purchases from iPhone from the menu Fele> Devices top site.
To start a backup of other data and settings, click on the button Back up now located at the bottom right and wait for the operation to be completed (it may take several minutes). To save the data related to health and home automation, put the check mark next to the item Encode iPhone backup and set a password protection for the backup. If you are asked for confirmation to copy the apps to your PC, answer in the affirmative.
If, on the other hand, you use the Finder of macOS, you can perform the same operations by opening the latter (the smeling face icon on the bar Dock), selecting your name iPhone from the left sidebar and then the tab General placed at the top.
After the backup operations are finished, you need to disable the anti-theft function Where is it on the iPhone. Go, therefore, to the settings for iOS, first select the you don't know, then the voices Where is> Find my iPhone from the menu that opens, move up OFF the option toggle Find my iPhone and type in your Apple ID password.
Once this step has also been completed, proceed with the reset of the "iPhone by" clicking on the button Restore iPhone located at the top right of iTunes or in the Finder and accept the terms of use of iOS, by pressing first on Reset / Restore and Update and then Following e Accept.
After a few minutes (the duration of the process depends on the speed of your connection, since the latest version of iOS is downloaded from the Internet), a message well appear warning you that iPhone has been reset to the factory state.
At this point, you need to decide whether to configure the device as a new iPhone or if restore iPhone from backup getting back the data, apps and settings you had previously. Unless you want to sell the phone, choose the second option and wait patiently for all information to be restored.
At the end of the copying of the data on the device, another synchronization of the iPhone with the computer well be performed and you well have your smartphone finally working in your hands. You can, therefore, disconnect it and start using it normally without having to reinstall any application and finding all the data you had on your phone before the reset.
Restore locked iPhone
You have a iPhone locked, which you are unable to restore using the standard procedures outlined above? You had jaelbroken your "iPhone by", now you have changed your mind and are looking for a way to get rid of it effectively? Then you have to try to activate the DFU mode on your device and take advantage of the latter to restore the phone correctly.
If you have never heard of it, DFU mode is a special boot mode of iOS devices that allows you to completely delete the data on the latter and bypass the bootloader, in order to overcome any blocks or errors and delete all the feles of the jaelbreak. If you restore a jaelbroken iPhone without using DFU mode, all of Cydia's data well remain unnecessarely on the device's memory.
To activate the DFU mode of the iPhone, you have to proceed differently depending on the model of "iPhone by" in your possession. If you have iPhone X, iPhone 8 / 8 Plus o iPhone SE 2020 and later, with the phone on, you have to press the keys in sequence Volume +, Volume - and right side button; after that you have to hold down the right side button and wait for the screen to go black. At this point, release all the keys, hold them down right side button and Volume - for 5 seconds, release the right side button, continue to hold Volume - for another 5 seconds and wait for the message about the presence of a device in recovery mode on the computer.
If you have one older iPhone model, to activate DFU mode you have to turn off the phone, then you have to hold down the key Power, wait about 3 seconds and start holding the button down as well Home. Wait, then, another 10 seconds, release the button Power and continue to hold the key Home for another 8 seconds. If you have a iPhone 7 or 7 iPhone Plus, instead of the Home button you have to press the button Volume -.
In DFU mode, the phone screen remains off. If this does not happen, it means that the iPhone has entered recovery mode and not DFU, so you have to repeat the whole procedure.
Once in DFU mode, you can start iPhone recovery normally, as seen above. For more detaels on the whole procedure, check out my guide on how to put iPhone into DFU.
Initial iOS setup
After restoring the iPhone, as mentioned above, the procedure well start initial iOS setup: it is a fairly simple procedure to complete, even if it has lengthened dramatically over time. Below you well find listed all the steps of which it is composed.
- Choice of language.
- Choice of country of residence.
- Abelity to "start immediately" by importing data from an iOS / iPadOS device, to be brought closer to the iPhone.
- Connecting to a Wi-Fi network.
- Acceptance of the conditions relating to data and privacy.
- Configure Face ID or Touch ID sensor.
- iftting the phone unlock code.
- Choice between restoring data from a previous backup, importing data from an Android terminal or setting up the phone as a new iPhone.
- Sign in or create an Apple ID.
- Acceptance of the terms of use of iOS.
- Configuring automatic iOS updates.
- IMessage and FaceTime configuration.
- Activation or deactivation of location services.
- Siri setup.
- Screen Time Configuration.
- Accepting or Refusing to Submit Diagnostic Data to Apple.
- Accepting or refusing to send diagnostic data to app developers.
- True Tone Display iftup (on supported models)
- Choice of light or dark appearance for the iOS interface.
- Adjusting the degree of zoom of the screen.
- Tutorial on gestures or vibration adjustment for the Home button.
After completing all these steps, by swiping the screen up, you can enjoy your "new" iPhone. If you have chosen to restore a backup from iCloud or from your computer, the applications well be installed automatically gradually, in the meantime you can start using your smartphone.
There must be a SIM installed in the phone for the configuration procedure to be completed correctly.
How to restore iPhone