Article
Reset and erase an old iPhone for resale
By Jesse Hollington
Social Media & Software Editor, iLoungeGoogle+
Published: Thursday, March 7, 2013
Articles Categories: Ask iLounge, iOS, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
Ask iLounge offers readers the opportunity to get answers to their iPod-, iPhone-, iPad-, iTunes-, or Apple TV-related questions from a member of the iLounge editorial team. We'll answer several questions here each week, and of course, you can always get help with more immediate concerns from the iLounge Discussion Forums. Submit your questions for consideration using our Ask iLounge Submit Form. We reserve the right to edit questions for grammar, spelling, and length.
Q: I am planning to sell my AT&T approved unlocked iPhone 4. What reset command should I use to prepare it for sale to a stranger?
- Juliann
A: The process for doing this is actually quite straightforward for any iPhone or other iOS device, regardless of whether it’s unlocked or not. Simply go into your Settings app and choose General, Reset and select the option to Erase All Content and Settings.

If you have a passcode set on your device, you will need to enter it before proceeding, after which you will be asked to confirm—twice—that you actually want to continue and erase everything on your device.

This process should actually only take a few seconds to complete, after which the iPhone will restart and display the standard iPhone setup screen. At this point you can simply turn it off and pack it up for resale.
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Ask iLounge Archives:
6-7-13: Inline Remote + Mic adapters for iPhone
6-6-13: Filtering content by iTunes Store account
6-5-13: Deleting backups made under another iCloud ID
6-4-13: Blocking data access on an iPhone
6-3-13: Changing iPhone number for iMessage
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