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I often get asked what the difference is between restoring and resetting an iPhone. I’ve also seen a lot of people seriously mess up their iPhones because they chose the wrong method and/or didn’t follow all the steps. So, whatever the reason you want to restore / reset your iPhone (or iPad), it is worth noting the differences between the two types of methods; how they’re performed; and, importantly, the end result of each operation.

Lets be clear, here: there IS a difference between the two and not knowing which does what can seriously mess up your phone and its contents. No one wants to lose important pictures and memories, Ditto for music and game progress. In this guide we explore what the difference is between a restore and a reset, in what instances you should use which, and the steps to follow when you do so.

Resetting your iPhone is the “lighter” version of formatting your device back to factory settings. A reset can be done directly on the iPhone itself--right in the Settings app--and doesn’t need to be connected to iTunes on a Mac or PC to complete. When resetting your iPhone you have the option of resetting all the settings on the device to factory default or just the network, keyboard dictionary, home screen layout, or location and privacy settings.

These settings are the preferences which make your iPhone yours: network passwords, icon arrangement, system and app settings, and the like. Restoring your iPhone is the “nuclear” version of formatting your device back to factory settings. A restore will wipe everything from your iPhone--settings, apps, the OS, and even the firmware itself. If you want the iPhone to be as close to the way it was when you first opened it from the box you want to restore it.

Generally you want to reset your iPhone whenever you are having simple problems with it: it doesn’t join networks it should; you’ve lost control over icon arrangement; your privacy or location settings are a jumbled mess. Resetting your iPhone resets some or all (depending on what you choose) of the preferences from your iPhone, which can help resolve bugs or odd behaviour on your device.

You want to restore your iPhone if you are selling or giving it away or you are having massive problems with it. Restoring your iPhone will obliterate everything on the device, erasing not only all your data, but the existing OS and firmware from the device. After a restore the latest clean version of iOS will be installed or you can reinstall a backup you made.

1. Tap the Settings app. 3. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the screen and tap Reset. 4. On the next screen you’ll see six options. 5. Tap Reset All Setting to reset all settings (network, keyboard dictionary, home screen layout, and location & privacy settings, etc) back to default.

6. Tap Erase All Content and Settings to reset all setting back to default and also erase all your personal content (emails, photos, movies, etc) on the iPhone. 7. Tap Reset Network Settings to reset all your network settings to default (this will erase all network passwords). 8. Tap Reset Keyboard Dictionary to reset the custom dictionary you’ve built up over time by using the iPhone’s typing and autocorrect features.

9. Tap Reset Home Screen Layout to reset the icon arrangement of your apps on the home screen to their default arrangement. 10. Tap Reset Location and Privacy Settings to return all your location preferences and privacy settings (like this you give to apps) to default. 11. After choosing one of the above, enter your security passcode when prompted and then tap the red Reset button. Your iPhone may need to be restarted depending on which above option you chose.



Restoring your iPhone is a bit more complicated because if you do it wrong you can seriously mess up your device. By that I don’t mean brick your device (doing that is very rare). I mean many times people restore their iPhone without doing a backup first. Then when they go to reload all their data on it they find they don't have any of that data saved.