How to Factory Reset Your iPhone Before Selling

It's Not as Complicated as You Think

Most people put off selling their old iPhone because of one nagging worry: what about my data?

It's a reasonable concern. Your phone holds years of photos, messages, banking apps, saved passwords, and personal information. The idea of handing all that over to a stranger — even a legitimate buyback service — makes people uncomfortable. So the phone stays in a drawer, losing value every week, while you tell yourself you'll "sort it out later."

Here's the truth: factory resetting an iPhone takes exactly four taps and about 90 seconds of your time. Apple has made this deliberately simple. And once you've done it, your phone is a clean slate — no data, no accounts, no trace of you.

Your iPhone is losing roughly £3 of value every week it sits unused. That's not a made-up number — it's the average depreciation rate for smartphones in the UK market. The sooner you wipe it and sell it, the more you get. Let's walk through exactly how to do it.

Why You Must Reset Before Selling

Before we get into the how, let's cover the why — because understanding the reasons will help you do it properly rather than cutting corners.

Your Personal Data Is at Stake

Your iPhone contains an extraordinary amount of personal information. Photos, messages, emails, saved passwords, banking apps, health data, location history, browsing history, social media accounts, and more. Even if you trust the buyback service to wipe the device (and reputable ones like TechLoop absolutely will), resetting it yourself is the responsible first step.

Think of it like shredding documents before putting them in the recycling. The recycling service probably won't read your bank statements, but you shred them anyway.

It Speeds Up Processing (and Payment)

When a buyback service receives a phone that's already been reset and is free from account locks, they can inspect and process it faster. Faster processing means faster payment. At TechLoop, devices that arrive pre-reset and unlocked are typically processed and paid for the same day they arrive.

If your phone arrives with Activation Lock still enabled, the service may need to contact you to resolve it — adding days to the process.

It Can Affect Your Price

Some buyback services will reduce the offer on devices that arrive with Activation Lock or that haven't been properly signed out. This isn't universal, but it's a real risk. A clean, properly reset device signals to the buyer that you've taken care of the preparation, and it removes any complications from their end.

Before You Reset: The Pre-Reset Checklist

Don't skip straight to the reset button. There are several things you need to do first, and missing any of them can cause headaches afterwards.

1. Back Up Your iPhone

This is the most important step. Once you reset, everything on the phone is gone permanently. You need a backup so you can restore your data to your new phone later.

Option A: iCloud Backup

1. Connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi
2. Open Settings
3. Tap your name at the top (your Apple ID)
4. Tap iCloud
5. Tap iCloud Backup
6. Tap Back Up Now
7. Wait for the backup to complete — don't disconnect from Wi-Fi until it finishes

Check you have enough iCloud storage. If you don't, you can temporarily buy extra storage (you can downgrade later) or use a computer backup instead.

Option B: Computer Backup (Mac or PC)

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer with a cable
2. On Mac (macOS Catalina or later): Open Finder, select your iPhone in the sidebar
3. On PC or older Mac: Open iTunes, select your iPhone
4. Click Back Up Now
5. If you want to save passwords and health data, tick Encrypt Local Backup and set a password you'll remember

Computer backups are faster if you have a lot of data and don't want to pay for extra iCloud storage.

2. Sign Out of iCloud (Critical)

This is the step people miss, and it's the one that causes the most problems.

When you sign out of iCloud, it disables Activation Lock — Apple's anti-theft feature that ties the phone to your Apple ID. If you don't do this, the next person who uses the phone will be asked for your Apple ID and password during setup. That makes the phone essentially unusable to the buyback service, and many will either reject it or significantly reduce the price.

How to sign out:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap your name at the top
3. Scroll down and tap Sign Out
4. Enter your Apple ID password when prompted
5. Choose whether to keep a copy of your data on the phone (it doesn't matter — you're about to wipe it anyway)
6. Tap Sign Out again to confirm

After signing out, go back to Settings and check the top of the screen. Instead of your name, it should say Sign in to your iPhone. That confirms Activation Lock is off.

3. Unpair Your Apple Watch (If Applicable)

If you have an Apple Watch paired to the iPhone you're selling, you need to unpair it first. Unpairing automatically creates a backup of your watch data on the iPhone (which is then included in your iPhone backup).

1. Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close together
2. Open the Watch app on your iPhone
3. Tap All Watches at the top
4. Tap the i icon next to your watch
5. Tap Unpair Apple Watch
6. Confirm and enter your Apple ID password if prompted

4. Deregister iMessage (If Switching to Android)

If your new phone is an Android device, you need to deregister iMessage. If you don't, text messages from other iPhone users may continue to be sent via iMessage to your old number — and they won't reach you on Android.

If you're switching to another iPhone, you can skip this step.

To deregister:

1. Before resetting, go to Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage
2. Go to Settings > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime

If you've already reset and forgotten to do this, you can deregister on Apple's website at selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage.

5. Remove Your SIM Card

Take your SIM card out before sending the phone. You'll need it for your new device, and it contains your phone number.

If you use an eSIM, you can remove it during the factory reset (iOS will ask), or do it manually:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Mobile Service (or Cellular depending on your iOS version)
3. Tap your eSIM plan
4. Tap Delete eSIM

6. Sign Out of Other Accounts

While not as critical as iCloud, it's good practice to sign out of:

• Banking apps
• Email accounts
• Social media apps (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc.)
• Any apps that use two-factor authentication tied to this device

Most of this will be wiped during the factory reset anyway, but signing out first ensures the apps' servers know you've disconnected this device.

The Factory Reset: Step by Step

Now for the actual reset. This is the easy part.

For iOS 17 and iOS 18 (iPhone 8 and later)

1. Open Settings
2. Tap General
3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone
4. Tap Erase All Content and Settings
5. If prompted, enter your passcode
6. If prompted, enter your Apple ID password (this is the final Activation Lock check — if you already signed out of iCloud, you won't see this)
7. Tap Erase iPhone to confirm

Your iPhone will restart and show the Apple logo with a progress bar. This takes anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes depending on the model and how much data was stored.

When it's finished, you'll see the "Hello" setup screen — the same one you saw when you first took the phone out of the box. That means the reset is complete.

Leave it on the Hello screen. Don't set it up again. Don't sign in. The phone is now clean and ready to sell.

For iOS 15 and iOS 16

The process is almost identical:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap General
3. Scroll down and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone (or on older iOS versions, Reset)
4. Tap Erase All Content and Settings
5. Follow the prompts — passcode, Apple ID password if asked
6. Confirm the erase

For Older iOS Versions (iOS 14 and Below)

1. Open Settings
2. Tap General
3. Tap Reset
4. Tap Erase All Content and Settings
5. Enter your passcode
6. Confirm

After the Reset: What to Check

Once your iPhone shows the Hello screen, do a quick sanity check:

• Activation Lock is off: If you can swipe past the Hello screen without being asked for an Apple ID, Activation Lock is definitely off. Swipe to check, then restart the phone back to the Hello screen.
• SIM card is removed: Double-check the SIM tray.
• No physical damage you haven't accounted for: Take a last look at the screen, frame, and cameras. Be honest about the condition when you get your quote on TechLoop — it ensures the price you're quoted matches what you'll actually be paid.

What If You Forgot to Reset Before Sending?

It happens. You were in a rush, you forgot, or you didn't realise it was important. Here's what to do.

If the phone is still in transit, contact the buyback service and let them know. They'll make a note on your order.

If the service already has your phone, reputable services like TechLoop perform a GDPR-compliant data wipe on every device received, regardless of whether you've reset it. Your data will be securely erased during processing. However, you should still take these steps remotely:

1. Go to icloud.com/find on a computer or another device
2. Sign in with your Apple ID
3. Select the iPhone you sold
4. Click Erase iPhone to remotely wipe it
5. After erasing, click Remove from Account to disable Activation Lock

Step 5 is crucial. If you only erase but don't remove from your account, Activation Lock stays on and the buyback service can't process the phone.

What If You Can't Reset? (Broken Screen or Other Damage)

If your iPhone screen is cracked, unresponsive, or completely black, you might not be able to navigate the settings menus to perform a reset. That's frustrating, but it doesn't mean you can't sell the phone.

Option 1: Reset Using a Computer

If your iPhone still turns on and you've previously trusted a computer:

1. Connect the iPhone to a Mac or PC
2. Open Finder (Mac) or iTunes (PC)
3. Select your iPhone
4. Click Restore iPhone
5. This will erase the phone and install a fresh copy of iOS

Option 2: Use Recovery Mode

If the phone isn't responding normally:

1. Connect the iPhone to a computer
2. Force restart into Recovery Mode:
   • iPhone 8 and later: Press and release Volume Up, press and release Volume Down, then press and hold the Side button until the recovery mode screen appears
   • iPhone 7: Hold Volume Down and the Side button together until the recovery mode screen appears
3. In Finder or iTunes, choose Restore (not Update)
4. Wait for the process to complete

Option 3: Sell As-Is

If nothing works — the phone is dead, water-damaged, or otherwise unusable — you can still sell it. TechLoop accepts broken devices in any condition. Just be transparent about the damage when getting your quote.

When you sell a device you couldn't reset yourself, make sure you still remove it from your iCloud account remotely (see the section above). This disables Activation Lock so the buyback service can process it.

The Pre-Sale Checklist (Summary)

Use this as a final run-through before you package your phone and post it.

Print this or screenshot it. Tick each item off as you go.

Common Mistakes That Slow Down Your Sale

Over the years, we've seen thousands of devices arrive at buyback services. Here are the most common mistakes that delay processing or reduce your payout.

Leaving Activation Lock on. This is far and away the most common issue. The fix is simple: sign out of iCloud before resetting. But if you forget, the buyback service has to contact you, wait for you to respond, and then wait for you to remove the device from your iCloud account remotely. This can add days to the process.

Over-estimating the condition. Be honest when describing your phone. If there are scratches, say so. If the battery health is below 80%, mention it. TechLoop's grading guide shows you exactly what each condition level looks like. A device that arrives in worse condition than described will be reassessed — and the revised offer will be lower.

Forgetting to remove a screen protector that hides damage. If your screen has a crack underneath a protector, the buyback service will find it. Removing the protector before sending lets you accurately describe the phone's condition and avoid surprises.

Sending accessories that weren't requested. Buyback services pay for the phone, not the box, charger, or case. Don't waste postage weight on accessories unless the service specifically asks for them.

Waiting too long after getting a quote. Phone values drop consistently. If you get a quote today, don't sit on it for a month. TechLoop offers a 7-day price lock, which gives you a reasonable window to prepare and post your device without the price changing under you.

How Long Does the Whole Process Take?

Here's a realistic timeline from start to finish.

Total active time on your part: roughly 30-60 minutes. Most of that is waiting for the backup to complete — something you can do while making dinner or watching telly.

For the amount of money you'll get back, that's an excellent use of an hour. Get started by checking what your iPhone is worth on TechLoop.

Beyond iPhones

While this guide focuses on iPhones specifically, the principle applies to every device you sell. Samsung, Google Pixel, and other Android phones have their own reset processes (generally found under Settings > General Management > Reset > Factory Data Reset). Tablets, laptops, and consoles all need to be wiped before selling too.

Whatever device you're looking to sell — iPhone, Samsung, iPad, MacBook, PlayStation, or Apple Watch — you can check its value on TechLoop in seconds. Free postage, same-day payment, and a GDPR-compliant data wipe on every device received.

The 90 seconds it takes to reset your phone could be worth hundreds of pounds. Don't let data anxiety keep money trapped in your drawer.