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.

Click here


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.

iPhone users adore its camera. Capturing priced memories using its compelling features is one of the biggest attraction of the iOS device. However, like any other phone, the digital photos may get lost from iPhone too.

And the situation can be devastating if the lost photos include your precious memories — of a vacation, wedding, your child’s first birthday or a friend’s party, which you wanted to keep with you for a lifetime.

Helping you out in such a situation, here we bring the methods to recoup your memories back into your iPhone.

Why are your photos lost from iPhone?

There could be many possible reasons for the loss of photos from iPhone. Some common reasons are listed below:

• Accidental deletion
• Factory reset
• Camera Roll or Photo Stream crash
• Failed iOS update
• iPhone jailbreak
• Water damaged, stolen iPhone, and others

Methods to recover permanently deleted photos from iPhone

Different situations call for distinct methods to restore lost photos from iPhone.

Since with iCloud and iTunes, Apple ensures a backup for the iPhone photos, if available, get back the lost iPhone photos from there.

Wherein in absence of backup, an iPhone photo recovery software is the best way to get back the deleted or missing photos on your iPhone and iPad. An efficient iPhone recovery software , works regardless of the reason of the photo loss.

Other methods such as photo recovery from ‘Recently Deleted’ folder or turning on iCloud Photos can also work in specific situations.

These methods can be applied on all iPhone models including series of iPhone 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, XS, XS Max, XR, X, 8 Plus, 8, 7 Plus, 7, 6S Plus, 6S, 6 Plus, 6, 5S, 5c, 5, 4S and 4.

1. Recover photos from ‘Recently Deleted’ on iPhone

The ‘Recently Deleted’ folder on iPhone keeps all the deleted photos for 30 days. Beyond this duration, the photos are automatically deleted from iPhone and this time permanently.

You can find the deleted photos from Camera Roll, Photo Stream, WhatsApp, SnapChat or Instagram etc., in this folder.

Check the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder on your iPhone. Find the required photos and move them back to your album.

Steps to restore photos from ‘Recently Deleted’ on iPhone:

• Go to the Photos app > Albums > Recently Deleted
• Find the missing photo and tap on it to Recover

2. Use iPhone Photo Recovery tool

In case of absence of photos backup, download and install Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone on your Mac or PC. Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone works with all the iPhone models including series of iPhone 6, 7, 8, X, XS, XR, 11, 12, 13, and 14. It supports latest iOS 16.

Situations when you should use Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone:

• No backup of photos
• Permanently deleted photos from iPhone
• Accidentally deleted photos
• Unable to restore photos from iCloud
• Unable to restore photos from iTunes
• Photos lost after iOS update, Factory reset or jailbreak
• Photos lost after iPhone black screen of death
• Stolen iPhone, water/ liquid damaged iPhone etc.

Note: Apart from photos, Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone can recover your deleted Videos, Contacts, Texts, Calendar, text messages, Notes, and other data.

Try the Free Demo Version of the software to recover your lost and deleted photos in Mac System or in Windows Desktop/Tablet

Step-by-step: Recover deleted photos from iPhone

• Connect your iPhone to the computer
• Launch Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone
• On the first screen select Recover from iPhone
• Select Camera Roll and Photo Stream. To recover Instagram, SnapChat or other App’s photos, select Apps Library

• Click Next
• Preview and choose the photos you want to recover from the list

• Click Save

3. Recover from iCloud backup

Do you maintain iCloud backup of your photos? Then bring back the deleted photos on your iPhone via iCloud. iCloud photos recovery is possible in situations of accidentally or permanently deleted photos from iPhone. You can also recover photos lost after your iPhone is set on factory reset, damaged, or stolen.

Steps to restore photos from iCloud on iPhone:

• Click to follow Settings > General > Reset> Erase all Contents and Settings

• A dialog box pops up, choose Erase Now
• Follow the instructions until you get on to the Apps & Data screenTap Restore from iCloud Backup

• Sign in to your iCloud account

• Choose the recent backup and click Restore to get back the deleted photos on iPhone

How to recover Photos from iCloud without losing existing iPhone data

This method of iCloud photo recovery protects your existing iPhone data. It also allows you to select and recover only the lost photos from iCloud instead of complete backup data.

Follow the below steps to restore only the lost/deleted photos from iCloud:

• Download and launch Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone on your computer. Note: You don’t need to connect your iPhone for recovering photos from iCloud backup files.
• Select Recover from iCloud Backup on main screen of software.

• Select Camera Roll and Photo Stream and click Next.
• Enter the Apple ID and password.

• List of all available iCloud backup files appears. Select the relevant backup of your iPhone and click Scan.
• Click Camera Roll and Photo Stream in the iCloud backup files list on the left window. Preview the existing and deleted photos or search for a specific photo by typing a keyword in the search box. If the desired photo is not in the recovered files list, click Deep Scan.
• Click Save. In the dialog box select either computer or iPhone to save the recovered photos. To save the photos on iPhone, make sure the iOS device is connected to the computer.

4. Recover deleted photos from iTunes

For those of you who maintain iTunes backup, it is the easiest way to retrieve the deleted photos of iPhone. iTunes backup also helps to restore photos lost due to deletion or after factory reset.

Steps to restore photos from iTunes backup:

• Connect iPhone to your PC/Mac
• Launch iTunes
• Select your iPhone under the device list
• Select the recent backup date
• Click Restore Backup

All your lost and deleted photos will be restored on your iPhone.

How to recover Photos from iTunes without losing the existing iPhone data

Use Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone to protect your current data on iPhone. The software allows you to select and recover only the lost photos from iTunes. With this method, you can prevent unnecessary data recovery on your iOS device.

Follow the below steps to recover only the lost/deleted photos via iTunes:

• Download and launch Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone software. Note: You can connect your iPhone to computer, if want to save the recovered photos in the iOS device.
• Select Recover from iTunes Backup on the main screen of the application.
• Select Camera Roll and Photo Stream option. Click Next.

• From the list of the iTunes backup files, select the relevant iTunes backup from which you want to restore photos.

• If your iTunes backup is encrypted, a dialog box will open prompting you to enter the password. Enter the password and click OK.
• From the backup files list in the left pane, click Camera Roll and Photo Stream. Preview the existing and deleted photos or search for a specific photo by typing a keyword in the search box. Click Deep Scan at the bottom left side, if your desired photos are not in the list.

• Click Save. A dialog box appears asking to select the location to save photos. You can save the recovered photos either onto your iPhone or computer.

5. Enable iCloud Photos

Sometimes you could see the photos on iPhone but not on your synced iPad, iPod Touch, or Mac. To view these missing iPhone pictures on the synced iOS devices turn on iCloud Photos.

iCloud Photos stores the photos in iCloud. It ensures you can view them on your synced devices. If you can’t find a photo on your synced iPad, iPhone, or Mac etc., enable iCloud Photos under Settings of the iOS device.

Steps to turn on iCloud Photos on iPhone/iPad/ iPod Touch

• Click to follow Settings > [your name] > iCloud

• Tap Photos
• Toggle on iCloud Photos.

To turn on iCloud Photos on Mac

• Go to System Preferences > iCloud.

• Next to Photos, click Options

• Select iCloud Photos

Next, connect to Wi-Fi and wait for some time until your photos appear again on the synced devices.

Tip: When you turn on iCloud Photos, photos upload to iCloud but they are not duplicated in your iCloud backup. So make backup of your photo library. You can download your photos from iCloud.com to your PC/Mac and store them as a separate library or store them on a separate drive.

Comparison — iPhone Photo Recovery Methods

|

| Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone | Recover from iCloud | Recover from iTunes | Recently Deleted folder | Enable iCloud Photos |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Success Rate | High | Medium | Medium | Low | Medium |
| Photo Recovery without backup | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Effect on iPhone’s existing photos & other data after recovery | Existing data remains in iPhone | Deletes the existing iPhone data | Deletes the existing iPhone data | Existing data remains in iPhone | Existing data remains in iPhone |
| Select Photo and restore | Yes | No | No | Yes | Not applicable |
| Preview photos before recovery | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Difficulty level | Nil | Medium | Medium | Nil | Medium |
| Recovery options | Recovers from iPhone, iPad, iCloud & iTunes | Recovers from iCloud only | Recovers from iTunes only | Recover from iPhone & iPad (within 30 days of photo deletion) | Recover on iPhone synced devices |

How to Fix iPhone Stuck at ‘attempting data recovery’ Loop

Summary: If your iPhone gets stuck at ‘attempting data recovery’ loop screen while updating iOS, learn how to fix iPhone failed iOS update error and efficiently recover lost data using Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone.

Since the release of iOS 16, there are frequent complaints about flood updates leading to the ‘attempting data recovery’ loop. Moreover, users are concerned about data loss in such situations.

Users globally reported that their iPhone gets stuck in the ‘attempting data recovery’ loop while trying to install iOS updates. The issue occurs when they update to iOS 16 versions by using iTunes. It leaves the update in the lurch and erases some or all data from their iPhone.

iOS updates breathe new life into your device. However, the truth is that Apple’s every update brings some bug or new problem, like this one.

Read this post further if your iPhone screen gets stuck at the ‘attempting data recovery’ loop during an iOS update.

It shares how to fix iPhone ‘attempting data recovery’ failed problem and recover lost iPhone data in any case.

You can apply the methods on iPhone 14, 13, 12, SE, 11, XS, XR, X, 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4 series. They are relevant to iOS 16 and below versions.

Common causes of ‘attempting data recovery’ loop on iPhone

The attempting to data recovery failed problem usually occurs when iOS is updated with iTunes. The ‘attempting data recovery’ screen takes a long time and is often followed by a prompt ‘press home button to restore.’

Some of these occurrences were reported in the following scenarios:

• Users unplugged the iPhone from a PC or Mac during the update
• Downgrading from iOS 16 to 15 or below
• Updating iOS after jailbreak

How to fix iPhone stuck at the ‘Attempting Data Recovery’ loop

1. Force Restart iPhone
2. Put iPhone into Recovery Mode

Method 1: Force Restart iPhone

It’s essential to know that a force restart differs from a normal Restart. A force restart is advised when iPhone is not in its normal working condition. It is either hanged or stuck at the Apple logo or another screen in Recovery Mode or Restore Mode. It cuts the power and turns on the iPhone again. Force restart usually fixes many iPhone issues.

Steps to Force Restart iPhone 8 and earlier:

• Press and fast release the Volume Up button
• Press and fast release the Volume Down button
• Press and hold the Side button (power) until the Apple logo appears

Steps to Force Restart iPhone X and later:

• Press and quickly release the Volume Up button
• Press and quickly release the Volume Down button
• Press and hold the Side button until you see the recovery-mode screen.

Method 2: Put iPhone into Recovery Mode

If Force Restart doesn’t help, try this method. Recovery Mode helps in cases of failed iOS updates. Thus, whenever the iOS updates, the iPhone gets stuck at the ‘attempting data recovery,’ op put the device on Recovery Mode.

[Caution]: Recovery Mode erases the iPhone data, which can be restored with the help of iTunes backup. So, make sure that the iTunes version is the latest.

Steps to put iPhone on Recovery Mode:

1. Connect iPhone to computer
2. Open iTunes
3. Force restart iPhone (with steps mentioned above)
4. A dialog box appears. Select Update

5. After the Update process completes, set up your iPhone.

Fixed ‘attempting data recovery’ failed problem. Further, how to restore data on iPhone

Recovery Mode, though fixes iPhone’s ‘attempting data recovery’ issue but at the same time erases all information from the device. You can restore iPhone data from iTunes backup or iCloud backup.

In case, iTunes/iCloud backups are not able to restore iPhone or you discover that some of the data is still missing after restoring the device, choose Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone .

The software is also helpful when you don’t want to recover all the data from iTunes or iCloud unnecessarily. Instead, it. It lets you recover precisely what you want, by allowing you to choose specific files like photos, videos, WhatsApp chats, or memos, Calendar, etc., and restoring them on the device.

Additionally, Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone also restores the data lost and deleted after jailbreak, water damage, a Black screen of death, iPhone stuck at Apple logo , screen damage iPhone, factory reset, etc. It supports recovery from iPhone 15, 14, 13, 12, SE, 11, XS, XR, X, 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4 series.

Steps to Restore Data on iPhone with Stellar Data Recovery of iPhone

• Download Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone on PC/ Mac
• Connect iPhone to the computer
• Select iTunes from the software screen
• Follow the simple on-screen instructions

Wrapping Up

Users look forward to iOS updates. However, the experience can get irritating, when iPhone software updates fail. For example, iPhone ‘attempting data recovery’ loop is a common problem faced after attempts to upgrade to the latest iOS 16.

Force restart of the device often resolves the ‘attempting data recovery’ loop issue. If this doesn’t work, further try to get your iPhone on Recovery Mode. Later restore data via iTunes or Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone. The software approach is straightforward and lets you select and restore the informathat you want.

Recover Deleted iPhone WhatsApp Attachments on Mac and Windows

Your iPhone has simplified your life to a great extent by making your daily task feasible. You can check your emails, send and receive text messages, WhatsApp messages, and attachments, browse the Internet, capture precious moments, etc. But, there could be situations, where the critical data stored on your iPhone might accidentally get deleted, especially the messages and attachments stored on your WhatsApp.

This situation often occurs when cleaning up the unwanted messages from the message boxes. Nevertheless, landing up in such a situation is disastrous.

With Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone, you can now recover lost or deleted iPhone WhatsApp attachments both on your Mac and Windows based systems. It is a highly reliable data recovery software that is capable of recovering your lost or deleted data from your iPhone, iTunes, and iCloud.

Steps to recover iPhone WhatsApp Attachments

Follow the below-mentioned steps, to recover deleted iPhone WhatsApp attachments on your Mac and Windows-based systems with Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone.

Step 1) Install Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone on your Mac or Windows based system

Step 2) Connect your iPhone to your system

Note: You can connect multiple devices and the software will list up the connected devices

Step 3) Double click on the icon of the software and the main screen will open as shown below

Step 4) To recover from your iPhone, click on the Recover from iPhone option displayed on the main screen and select “Message & Chats” option from the list.

Step 5) The software will scan the selected device and list all the items on your phone

Step 6) You can select WhatsApp option from the list

Step 7) Now click on the save button to save the files

Step 8) Provide the location where you would want the recovered data to be saved.

Note: You can import the recovered data to your iPhone but this option is available only when you recover the data in a Windows based system.

To sum up, whenever you are in a situation where you have lost or accidentally deleted WhatsApp attachment from your iPhone, you can rely on Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone. This is a highly-efficient software that is capable of recovering all your lost or deleted data from iPhone, iCloud, and iTunes backup. With this software, you can save all your recovered messages and attachments at your preferred location on your computer.