Guide to Completely Erase Data on iPhone 14 to Avoid Privacy Leak

Guide to Completely Erase Data on iPhone to Avoid Privacy Leak

With growing instances of data leak and misuse, there’s a fear of digital data on iPhone landing in wrong hands. Personal photos, messages, videos, contacts, or sensitive information such as bank details, shopping apps ID etc., are at risk when selling, trading off, recycling or donating your iOS device.

So what can you do to keep your old iPhone data away from strangers’ eyes and make it 100% unrecoverable?

One solution is the commonly used Apple’s recommendation — erase iPhone data by choosing ‘erase all content and settings’ on your device. However, with professional hackers and sophisticated software available, erasing data by this method doesn’t guarantee data privacy.

Experts suggest using trusted iPhone erasure software that is 100 % safe. The software can make iPhone data unrecoverable beyond the reach of any tool.

Let’s understand in detail how to permanently erase data on iPhone by these techniques.

Clean iPhone by using ‘Erase All Content and Settings’

To clear all data from iPhone use the’Erase All Content and Settings’ option in the settings of your iOS device. It is like factory resetting your iPhone.

All the app data, settings, passwords, photos, videos, contacts, documents, messages, Calendar, chats, music, audio files etc., gets deleted after factory reset from iPhone.

However, don’t forget to first take the backup of your iPhone data in iCloud or iTunes.

Steps to erase iPhone via Settings:

Go to Settings.
Navigate to General > Reset> Erase All Content and Settings.
Click Erase Now in the dialog box. Enter Passcode and Apple ID password, when prompted.

This will erase iPhone data turning the device off. When you power on the iPhone, you will see all its data is deleted including, photos videos, apps, contacts etc.

Permanently wipe iPhone to 0% recovery – Secure & tested method

Although deleting data via ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ on iPhone will make your device as clean as new, but it is not enough. Your iPhone data after factory reset is still recoverable by hackers. Thus, to protect privacy and prevent data leak by any means, it is essential to erase iPhone with the help of a professional iOS eraser software .

You can find several iOS cleaner software online but here we recommend Stellar Toolkit for iPhone. The efficient software is the best way to wipe iOS device before you sell , recycle, or donate.

It removes your personal videos, pictures, contacts, notes, calendar, browsing history, call log, chats, messages, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other sensitive information saved on your iPhone. The secure DIY software supports the latest iOS 16 and below versions. You can erase all variants including iPhone 6, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone SE, iPhone 11, and above.

You can take the free trail and gage the software features and user-friendliness.

Step-by-step guide to erase iPhone data permanently:

Step 1: Download and launch Stellar Toolkit for iPhone on computer.

Step 2: Click on Erase Data module.

Step 3: On Erase iPhone Data screen, click **Next.
**

Step 4: As you see the Click Device to Select screen appears, connect your iPhone to computer.

Step 5: Select Erase.

Step 6: In the Erase Process box, select Yes.

Step 7: Data Erase Complete message box appears that asks for confirmation before erasing the data. Click OK.

Wrapping Up

After erasing complete iPhone data by using the secure iPhone eraser software by Stellar, there’s no need to worry about personal data leak. The software algorithms ensure that even the most advanced iOS data recovery tool cannot retrieve your information.

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FAQs

How do you permanently erase data so that it cannot be recovered from iPhone?

Use the best iPhone data eraser tool to permanently wipe iPhone data. This is a assure way to prevent data leak and protect privacy.

How to Fix & Retrieve Pictures/Videos From a Water Damaged iPhone That Won’t Turn on

Summary: Spilled water on your iPhone? This article guides you in detail, how to fix water-damaged iPhone and do’s to avoid further damage. Also learn ways to recover lost photos and videos when your iPhone is not turning on due to the damage.

| Q. I accidentally dropped my iPhone in swimming pool and now it does not turn on anymore. How can I fix my water damaged phone? Is there any way I can rec__over photos and videos from my water damaged iPhone
A. To fix a water damaged iPhone, try to dry it completely while to recover your lost photos and videos you have two options:

Recover from Apple iCloud and iTunes backup
If, backup files are not accessible or deleted, recover using third-party software
|
| — |

This article guides you in detail, how to fix such water-damaged iPhone and recover lost photos and videos when the device is not turning on.
The damage caused by water or any other liquid on iPhones is unpredictable. Your iPhone may or may not turn on and there is a high possibility of losing your data including photos and videos on it.
Even if your iPhone is under the one-year warranty, Apple does not cover liquid damages to iPhone. So now you are in a crazy situation of double loss, of owning a faulty device and losing precious photos and videos stored in it.
First, a piece of advice: Stay calm. Before trying to retrieve lost photos through any method follow the essential dos and don’ts to fix your iPhone and avoid further loss.

DOs for Water Damaged iPhone

**Try drying
**Remove excess water off the iPhone by rubbing it dry on a towel. Gently shake it to clear the water in the sockets and ports of the phone.
**Do not plug it in or turn it on
**Do not plug or turn on the wet iPhone as this can cause a short circuit. Even if it turns on, it will stop working forever after sometime. If the iPhone is in Power on or Sleep Mode, switch it off completely and leave it to dry for at least two days.
**Remove the SIM card
**Take out the SIM card from the iPhone to avoid damage to key components and rub it dry on a clean cotton cloth.
**Dry with silica gel sachets
**Use silica gel packets to dry your wet iPhone and leave it for at least 48 hours.

DON’Ts for Water Damaged iPhone

Do not press any buttons of wet iPhone
Do not try to switch on your iPhone to avoid short circuit
Do not use a hairdryer or other drying tools to dry your phone
Do not place your iPhone in raw rice to avoid foreign particles entering inside

How to Recover Data from Water Damaged iPhone

After doing above essential hacks, once you power on your water damaged iPhone, there are two possibilities, either your phone starts working but you have lost your data or iPhone does not switch on at all!
Do not panic, as in either case, you can recover your lost photos and videos from a water damaged iPhone via two methods

Method 1: Recover from **iCloud and iTunes backup
**Apple has this remarkable feature in which all iPhone data is automatically saved in iCloud and iTunes backup. You just you need to sign in to iCloud or iTunes through your Apple ID on the new iOS device. Next, select and transfer the desired files to the new device from the list of available backups in iCloud/iTunes.

_**Method 2: Recover from third-party application
**_In case you are unable to restore photos from the iCloud and iTunes backup files or have deleted your desired files from the backup, opt for a third-party application to recover photos or videos from your water damaged iPhone.
From a plethora of iPhone data recovery software available in the market, experts recommend to pick only the trusted and secure data recovery tool, specially designed for the iOS device.

**Use iPhone Data Recovery Software by Stellar
**One of the commonly used third-party data recovery software is Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone. The easy-to-use interface and 100% safe download makes it a popular choice among iPhone users.

If your iPhone is synchronized with iCloud and iTunes backup, you can retrieve lost photos and videos from water damaged iPhone using Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone. In the situation when your iPhone is not detected by the system or do not switch on at all, after it is damaged due to water, the software offers two ways to recover photos and videos:

Recovery from iCloud Backup
Recovery from iTunes Backup

Step-by-step: Recovery from iCloud Backup
Step 1: Install and Run Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone and select “Recover from iCloud Backup” from the main menu.

Figure 1: Illustrates the main screen

Step 2: Enter the Apple ID and password to sign in to iCloud.

Stellar Figure 2: Illustrates the credential screen

Step 3: After entering the credentials, the software displays the list of all backup files. Select the desired files and click Scan

Figure 4: Illustrates backup files list

Step 4: Preview the selected files and press Save. You can save recovered photos or videos at the desired location.

Figure 5: Illustrates the preview of the files

Step-by-step: Recovery from iTunes Backup
Step 1: Select “Recover from iTunes Backup” option on the main screen

Step 2: The software displays all iTunes backup files. From the Tree view, select the file categories from which you want to recover photos/videos. it will list all files under that category.

Figure 6: Illustrates the backup files list

Step 3: Preview the existing and/or deleted files

Figure 7: Illustrates the Preview of files under the selected category

Step 4: Click ‘Save’ to recover the file. You can either choose to save all or a few files by selecting the checkboxes.

_ Figure 8: Illustrates the file saving process_

**Conclusion
**The safest way to _rec_over lost photos and videos from water damaged iPhone is through a secure third-party tool.
The easy-to-use interface along with scanning and recovery precision makes iPhone Photo Recovery Software by Stellar most sought by iPhone users. It comes as a blessing, especially when the iTunes and iCloud backup files become inaccessible or unreadable.

Try the Free Demo Version of the software to recover your lost and deleted pictures/videos in Mac or in Windows.

How to Fix iPhone Storage Not Loading/Showing

The majority of smartphones require a certain amount of storage to operate properly. When you receive a low storage message, you may instinctively check your storage space but encounter the iPhone Storage Not Loading issue.

What could be the cause of such a bothersome problem? The bad news is that the root reason for this problem is unclear, but we’ve offered some fixes you can try to fix this issue.

There is yet another way to check the storage on your iPhone if you face the “iPhone Storage Not Showing” issue, and we’ll go over it in the following section.

How can I use a computer to check my storage?

You can check your iPhone’s storage using a computer with iTunes or Finder app installed.

On a Mac running macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, launch the Finder or open iTunes on a PC or Mac running macOS Mojave 10.14 or an earlier version.
You should use a cable to connect your phone and computer.
Select your device in iTunes or Finder.
You can see how much storage each type of content takes up by hovering your mouse over the storage bar.

How can I fix iPhone Storage Not Loading/Showing?

1. Wait a bit more

Some computing operations take a while to finish. Your phone’s storage may overflow with tons of app data, images, and other files if you’ve been using it for a while.

And each of them would have to load before reporting their combined size to the OS. Usually, loading takes about three minutes.

2. Update iOS

If your iOS version was outdated, your phone’s functionalities, including storage access, would not function properly. Additionally, updating the OS will get rid of any potential issues. Follow the procedures listed below to check and update your iOS version:

Select General from the Settings menu.
Click on Software Update. If any updates are available, download and install them.

3. Force Stops the App

The settings app itself can be the problem due to an app bug. Therefore, forcing the app to close is a valid option. This will make the software restart from scratch, wiping off part of the data and information it had in RAM.

Access the app switcher (swipe up your finger from the bottom of the screen to bring up the menu or double-click the Home button on older iPhone models).

Swipe up and drag the Settings card off the screen to force the app to close.
Relaunch the Settings app to see if the problem persists.

4. Reconnect to iCloud

iOS has been designed in a way that it needs to be connected to iCloud to function flawlessly. Therefore, the storage loading error could also be linked to connectivity issues between these two. In this case, signing out of the service and then back in again might resolve the issue.

Open the Settings application.
Click your profile at the top. To sign out of the service, tap iCloud.

Next, sign in once more using your iCloud password.

5. Fix the Issue Using Your PC

When you connect the cable, link your iPhone to your PC, and sync the storage, iTunes looks for any issues and either fixes them on its own or recommends methods to fix them by yourself. For any software-related issues with your phone, this is a great fix, and it may even repair your iPhone storage not updating problem.

Connect your phone to computers that have iTunes installed on them with a lightning cord.
The storage data should be able to sync with your smartphone automatically.
If not, press the Sync button.

6. Factory Reset Your iPhone

You may fix any bugs that cause iPhone storage not to update by performing a factory reset. Furthermore, it would restore your OS version to its factory settings, resolving any problems that updates might have brought on.

The whole contents of your device will be deleted if you follow this method. You can either create a backup of your data or use a tool to restore it once your iPhone has been entirely deleted to prevent this.

Go Settings app on your smartphone. Next, choose Reset after choosing General.
Under Reset, among the few options, click Erase all Content and Settings.

Next, choose Erase iPhone. After that, your smartphone will return to its factory default settings.

Recover your data using Stellar data recovery for iPhone:

Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone is a powerful program that can retrieve files that have been erased unintentionally or on purpose. To guarantee that Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone will recover your data, it offers a variety of data recovery techniques. Furthermore, you wouldn’t need to check manuals or other documentation to understand how to use the software because of its basic user interface, which makes the recovery process easy.

With Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone, your files, including voice recordings, notes, and Safari bookmarks, will be restored. What you should do is:

Download and install Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone from the official website.
Connect your iPhone to the PC through a cable.
Launch the Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone, choose the type of data you wish to recover from the list, and click Next.

Preview the recovered data, then Select and Save it to the chosen destination.

Why isn’t my iPhone storage loading?

When trying to check your iPhone’s storage, you will notice a small spinning wheel going back and forth if your phone is having storage problems since it cannot accurately represent the amount of storage that is accessible.

Furthermore, the loading issue may show an incorrect amount of storage. Some users reported this and other minor issues throughout the iOS 15 beta testing phase. Other factors contributing to this issue include iCloud service problems and application bugs.

Wrap up! Stellar is your ultimate backup

It is hard to download content or install apps on an iPhone with insufficient storage. Therefore, a factory reset would resolve your issue and clear the storage, enabling you to scan your device with Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone and retrieve any desired files.

And if a factory reset doesn’t fix iPhone storage not loading and showing problem, look for professional assistance with your problem. You can never be certain whether a storage issue results from faulty hardware or software.

FAQ:

How do I create backups before wiping my iPhone clean?

Simply connect your phone to your computer, open iTunes, and choose the backup option, and the program will create a copy of your data that can be used to restore lost or deleted contents.

Does Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone require a backup for successful file recovery?

Because the software searches iTunes for files, having a backup, there might be useful. However, the software can and will effortlessly restore your content even without any backups.

Do I install the Stellar Data Recovery Software for iPhone on my smartphone?

The software cannot be installed or used on an iPhone or an Android smartphone. Because the software is compatible with the widely used Windows and Mac operating systems, you must first install it on a device using one of those operating systems before connecting your phone to it.

How to Recover Files after iPhone Factory Reset?

If you detect anything anomalous on your iPhone, you may need to reset it to factory settings. However, after a factory reset, you will lose all the data stored in your device. You will not be able to access your contact list, call logs, or messages, be it your imessages, WhatsApp, etc. But, why restore your iPhone?

Sometimes, there are issues that cannot be handled and the only solution is to restore the device to factory settings. This is usually done when the device functions abnormally or the performance is extremely slow. If your iPhone is restored to factory settings, every single bit of personal information will be permanently deleted from the device, and this may prevent others from getting access to your personal information.

How to reset your iPhone to Factory Settings:

To reset your iPhone to factory settings, follow the steps below:

Click Settings and then select General
Select Reset and click on Erase all contents and settings. The interface will prompt you to key in your Apple ID and Passcode
Enter your Apple ID and Passcode to proceed. With this, the procedure to factory reset iPhone is complete

Important!

Before resetting the iPhone device to factory settings, it would be a good practice to back up your device on your system. If you have not created a backup, you will not be able to restore the data back to your device, and all you will lose all your data. You can use iCloud or iTunes to back up your iPhone data. If anything anomalous occurs, all the data can be restored from the most recent backup files right from anywhere.

How to recover deleted data from your iPhone:

Even if you have not backed up your iPhone data, there’s still a solution. You can now retrieve all your erased data from your iPhone with Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone . The tool is powered by sophisticated recovery algorithms that help restore all the data components back to your iPhone after a factory reset.

The tool provides the option to recover data through multiple channels. Since we need to recover data that has been erased after a factory reset, we need to select ‘Recover from iPhone’ option from the main interface of the tool.

Follow the steps below to restore your deleted data:

Connect your iPhone device to the system. The tool will then begin to analyze the device for detecting the previously existing files from the connected device. The tool will generate a preview for all the folders and incorporated contents within its panel.
You can then select single or multiple files for recovery that you have lost while resetting your iPhone.
The iPhone recovery tool will provide dual options to store data either on the hard drive on the computer or your connected iPhone device.

Not only the tool provides the benefit to recover data from iPhone device, but you will also be able to recover data from iTunes or iCloud backup files . Also, the iOS recovery tool can also be used to recover data from encrypted backup files. However, to utilize this feature, it is important to have a backup.