So, how do I go about....

[Bacchus]

So, how do I go about cleansing my iPhone 4 in preparation of selling it? I see a number of them for sale on places like eBay, etc., but I obviously wouldn't want any personal info or apps that would tend to 'personalize' it to remain.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance...

 

[ardchoille]

The only things you need to do are 1) turn off Find My iPhone and then 2) Erase All Content and Settings.

The data on your iPhone is encrypted and restoring to factory settings destroys the keys so that the data can never be recovered.

On a side note, Apple has been taking some heat lately because the security of iOS is so strong that the US government cannot break into iPhones. That should tell you how secure your data is.

 

[Bacchus]

Thanks very much, Ardchoille. I appreciate the help with that.

Oh, and a fond hello to that gorgeous city by the sound. I've lived in the Seattle area and I believe it's God's country.

 

[ardchoille]

Thanks very much, Ardchoille. I appreciate the help with that.

Oh, and a fond hello to that gorgeous city by the sound. I've lived in the Seattle area and I believe it's God's country.

You're welcome

Yes, I love Seattle!

 

[Bacchus]

I just went to my iPhone 4 and started to turn off Find My Phone but it offered me two choices -
1. Bacchus' iPhone 35 minutes ago
2. Bacchus' iPhone now

I was afraid one of those choices referred to my iPhone 5s which is within inches of the 4 and I don't want to turn off the wrong phone.

Can I safely assume both of the choices refer to the same phone - the old one?

 

[J. A.]

If both are connected to the same iCloud ID, one of them should be the new iPhone.
Change the name of the old phone, just for a bit, to be sure you remove the right iPhone from iCloud. The name of the iPhone can be edited in Settings - General - About - Name.

Where did you try to turn off Find my iPhone? It's easier in Settings - iCloud - Find my iPhone. All your iPhone will do, is ask for the iCloud ID's password. It won't offer two options. After entering the password, Find my iPhone will be turned off.

 

[Bacchus]

Okay. Got the old iPhone turned off. Now, where is Erase all Content and Settings?

 

[J. A.]

On your iPhone in Settings - General - Reset.

 

[Bacchus]

Hot Diggity-dog. Once again, the purveyors of wisdom and IT knowledge have conquered ignorance and superstition and produced a thoroughly cleansed iPhone. YIPPEE!!

And all that nonsense....

Many thanks to both you and Ardchoille for the assist. As always, it's much appreciated.

 

[J. A.]

Glad to help.

 

[ardchoille]

I just went to my iPhone 4 and started to turn off Find My Phone but it offered me two choices -
1. Bacchus' iPhone 35 minutes ago
2. Bacchus' iPhone now

I don't believe that was Find My iPhone, those look like backups; perhaps one for each phone.

I'm glad everything worked out. I, too, am glad to help.

Yep, these forums are the best around.. I don't think I would have stuck with iOS if it weren't for these forums.